Cooking with olive oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salad Dressing: Ratios and Method
An extra virgin olive oil salad dressing is three parts oil to one part acid, an emulsifier, and a slow pour. Everything else is a variation on that.
The short answer
An extra virgin olive oil salad dressing is three parts oil to one part acid by volume, held together by mustard, honey or crushed garlic and a slow whisked pour. Dissolve the salt in the acid first. Keep the rest in a capped glass jar in the fridge and shake it back together.
A salad dressing is the shortest recipe in the kitchen and one of the easiest to get wrong, usually because the oil hit the bowl before the salt had dissolved. Three ingredients, one order of operations, ninety seconds.
Below: the ratios, a whisking method that holds, the faults that split a dressing, four builds, and how long a jar keeps.
The ratio to start from
A vinaigrette starts at three parts oil to one part acid, measured by volume. Three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to one tablespoon of lemon juice dresses a bowl of leaves for four. Shift to 2:1 on sturdy leaves, and to 4:1 when the vinegar is strong.
| Oil to acid | What it suits | Leaves |
|---|---|---|
| 2:1 | Sharp, cuts richness | Kale, cabbage, raw carrot |
| 3:1 | The default vinaigrette | Romaine, butterhead, mixed leaves |
| 4:1 | Softens a strong vinegar | Rocket, spinach |
| 5:1 | Oil forward, barely dressed | Ripe tomato, avocado |
How to make the emulsion hold
Oil and acid do not dissolve in one another, so something has to hold them suspended. A teaspoon of Dijon mustard, half a teaspoon of honey, or a garlic clove crushed to a paste with salt will each do it. Order matters more than the whisk.
- Stir the acid, salt and pepper together until the salt dissolves. Salt will not dissolve in oil.
- Whisk in the mustard, honey or garlic paste.
- Pour the oil in a thin stream, whisking without stopping, until it thickens and turns opaque.
- Taste it on a leaf, not off the spoon: more oil if it bites, more acid if it sits flat.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Almost every failed dressing is one of four things: the oil went in too fast, the salt never dissolved, there was no emulsifier, or the leaves were wet from the tap. A split dressing still rebuilds — whisk fresh mustard in a clean bowl and pour the split mixture in slowly.
- Split at once. No emulsifier. Rebuild it onto mustard or garlic paste.
- Harsh. Too much acid, or salt added last. Add oil a teaspoon at a time.
- Flat. Wet leaves dilute whatever lands on them. Spin or pat them dry.
- Solid in the fridge. Normal. Twenty minutes on the counter reverses it.
Which oil, and when to pour it
A dressing is an unheated use, so the oil's own character lands on the plate rather than being cooked off. Extra virgin is the grade that has one: green, fruity, peppery at the back of the throat. Refined pure and light grades are processed to taste of almost nothing. For where that character comes from, read what cold-pressed olive oil really means.
Dress at the table. Salt and acid draw water from a leaf within minutes.
Four dressings on the same base
Four dressings run off one base: three parts extra virgin olive oil to one part acid, the salt dissolved in the acid first, the oil whisked in last. Lemon and garlic, mustard vinaigrette, balsamic, and calamansi with soy each change a single ingredient. The quantities dress a bowl for four.
- Lemon and garlic. 3 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, one clove crushed with salt, black pepper. For cucumber and tomato.
- Mustard vinaigrette. 3 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon, a little honey. For romaine and boiled egg.
- Balsamic. 4 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt. For tomato, rocket and anything with cheese.
- Calamansi and soy. 3 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp calamansi juice, 1 tsp light soy sauce. For shredded cabbage and mango.
What to keep it in and how long it keeps
A screw-top glass jar is the whole storage answer: mix in it, pour from it, cap the rest and shake it back together. Plain oil, vinegar and mustard keeps about two weeks in the refrigerator, and anything fresh stirred in cuts that to a few days.
| Dressing | Where | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Oil, vinegar, mustard, salt | Fridge, capped | About 2 weeks |
| With raw garlic or shallot | Fridge, capped | 3 to 4 days |
| With soft fresh herbs | Fridge, capped | 2 to 3 days |
| With yogurt or tahini | Fridge, capped | 2 days |
The short version
Three parts oil, one part acid, the salt dissolved in the acid first, mustard or garlic to hold it, the oil poured last in a thin stream. Keep the rest capped in the fridge.