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A Top 10 NYTimes 2025 Salad Dressing

Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: black pepper, butter lettuce, champagne vinegar, cilantro, cucumber, dijon mustard, Dill, extra virgin olive oil, fennel, garlic, gluten free, honey, kosher salt, mixed lettuces, Parsley, radishes, shallots, thyme, whole grain mustard
Servings: 4 people
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Equipment

  • Mandolin -if you don't have a mandolin, slice the fennel, cucumber and radishes as thinly as you possibly can. I've done it both ways.

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 1/2 large shallot finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar sherry or white wine vinegar can also be used
  • 1 tablespoon warm water
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil See NOTES below
  • 1½ teaspoons honey
  • 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1½ teaspoons whole-grain mustard
  • ½ teaspoon chopped thyme leaves (fresh)
  • 1 clove garlic grated or presssed
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Salad

  • 4-6 cups baby lettuces
  • 1/2 bulb fennel cut in half vertically, and shave thin with a mandolin (refer to recipe photo) or slice by hand as thinly as possible
  • 1 tablespoon dill chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves and tender stems chopped
  • 1 tablespoon parsley leaves chopped
  • 1 small cucumber peeled, ends trimmed, and sliced into thin rounds
  • 4 radishes (multi-colored, preferably) trimmed and sliced into thin rounds

Instructions

Dressing

  • Combine shallots with 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 tablespoon warm water in a medium-sized bowl and let sit for a few minutes.
  • Then add 1 1/2 teaspoons honey, both mustards (1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon and 1 1/2 teaspoon whole grain), 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the bowl with the shallots. Use a whisk or fork to combine, taste and adjust seasoning accordingly if necessary.
  • Set dressing aside. Re-mix when ready to use. Refrigerate any extra dressing in a jar or covered bowl for up to 1 week.

Salad

  • Place 4-6 cups of lettuce, 1/2 fennel bulb thinly sliced, 1 tablespoon each dill, cilantro and parsley rough chopped, and 1 cucumber and 4 radishes thinly sliced in a large bowl.
    These ingredients are suggestions. Feel free to modify ingredients as desired.
  • Add dressing and toss to incorporate.
  • Mound salad onto a platter and serve immediately.

Notes

I reduced the amount of olive oil in the recipe because I favor a more pungent dressing. If you prefer a milder dressing, feel free to add up to an additional 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil which is what the original recipe calls for.