Lemon-Caper Dressing

Name: Lemon-Caper Dressing
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1/2 cup
Ingredients: 1 medium garlic clove; Black pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon); 1 teaspoon capers (about 18); 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice; 5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

By Ali Slagle

Total Time: 5 minutes
Rating: 4(1,126)
Comments: Read comments

Here’s a salad dressing that falls somewhere between special-occasion Caesar and “toss lemon juice and olive oil onto lettuce.” By adding a craggy paste of capers and garlic and a pouf of shaved Parmesan to the lemon and olive oil, you get a puckery, salty mix that’s packed with umami, just like Caesar, but isn’t weighed down by mayonnaise or egg yolks. It works great on arugula, Romaine, kale or radicchio; steamed or roasted vegetables; hard-boiled eggs; and even grains. The recipe developer's mom has been feeding her this dressing since she could chew. Ali adds a bit more garlic and lemon than what you’ll find here, so adjust it until it tastes good to you.

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Ingredients

Yield:½ cup

1medium garlic clove
Black pepper (about ¼ teaspoon)
1teaspoon capers (about 18)
3tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
5tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
¼cup extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
On a cutting board, smash and coarsely mince the garlic. Add 10 grinds of fresh pepper and the capers to the garlic. Chop and press down on the mixture with the side of your knife until a coarse paste forms.
Step 2
Transfer the paste to a bowl, then stir in the lemon juice, followed by the Parmesan. Slowly add in the olive oil, stirring until emulsified. Taste on a lettuce leaf (or whatever you're dressing) and adjust as needed with acid (lemon), fat (olive oil), and salt (capers and cheese).

Tip

Leftovers keep covered for up to 2 days in the fridge.

Private Notes

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Ratings

4 out of 5

1,126 user ratings

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Comments

Chris6 years ago

Added the zest from the lemon too for a super lemony taste without extra acid. This was delicious. The immersion blender made it extra smooth.

Sean5 years ago

Great precisely as written. Using an immersion blender makes this incredibly quick and easy. Just toss everything together (whole clove, whole capers) but the oil, blend until combined, then slowly dribble in the oil whilst blending.

ChefSacky6 years ago

New favorite dressing! It’s a great (faster) alternative to classic Caesar, especially since I’m pregnant and can’t have raw egg. Put this on kale with some sunflower seeds and shake in a container. Leave it over night and the acid in the dressing is enough to start to soften the cellulose in the greens- instant kale Caesar side salad or serve with grilled chicken as an entree.

Robin2 weeks ago

I'm so confused about the immersion blender tip. I put it all in the container and the blade doesn't reach the garlic and capers. Now I have to fish out the garlic and capers and start with the smashing, as the recipe called for. It's made my job harder.

ASB1 month ago

My husband is fully addicted to this dressing! So easy and fresh. I served it on a basic arugula salad and salmon seasoned with salt and pepper. I know there's a no cheese with fish, but some of this made it's way to the salmon and it was delish!

dansedufeu2 months ago

Superb lemon flavor! As suggested, added lemon zest and used immersion blender. Very quick and clean process.

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