If you know me by now, winter brings out the lemon cravings in me and lemon everything dances in my head. Last winter I made lemon cake and recently lemon budino.

One way to satisfy the desire to pucker up a bit and feel that zing that lemon gives is a good lemon vinaigrette recipe on the right green salad.

Growing up in an Italian household, the green salad was a part of every single dinner. Sometimes it was just oil and red wine vinegar and sometimes it was oil and lemon.

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I do break a few rules however, as I like to add champagne vinegar, which marries very well with lemon. I mix this up with some dijon mustard, which makes everything better. Dried herbs such as herbs de Provence  compliments a lemon vinaigrette.

This salad with lemon vinaigrette recipe is not complicated.

but requires the right balance of fat, acid and salt. This means you will need to taste along the way.

In this salad I used  feta cheese that was packed in brine from Trader Joe’s. The olive oil has to be extra virgin and on the milder side. There is nothing worse than a a heavy olive oil dominating a salad except a salad with too much dressing.



Tips for a Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe  

• Acid to oil ratio. The ratio of acid (lemon and/or  vinegar will be anywhere from 1 to 4 parts olive oil to 1 to 3 parts olive olive oil. I go by taste, and you should too. A good rule of thumb is to start with 1 part acid to 2 parts oil. You can always add more oil if the dressing is too acidic.
• Use an emulsifier. I use dijon mustard which keeps the dressing together. Mix with acids first, then add the oil half at a time. Shake and taste.
• Sturdy lettuce such as romaine and iceberg require more dressing  Spring greens will use one fourth to one third the amount. The heavier lettuces do very well with lemony vinaigrettes. A mix of sturdy romaine lettuce with delicate arugula is fabulous. It’s pretty. The arugula adds a peppery flavor and the mixed textures work.
• Dried herbs marry well with a lemony vinaigrette and I recommend herbs de provence or a dried thyme or tarragon.
• Salad needs salt. Keep that in mind when tasting.
• Sheep Cheeses like a good crumbled feta or shaved Pecorino Romano complement a lemon vinaigrette well.
• Soft Hard Boiled eggs can serve as a protein.

Two Ways to Make Soft Hard Boiled Eggs

• Place in cold water, bring to boil, reduce to a simmer for no longer than three minutes. Soft, but no runny yolk.
• If you want a runny soft boiled egg, place in boiling water for 6.5 minutes.

I added some seared salmon to this salad, but any fatty meat likes this too.

You can also use the lemon vinaigrette for vegetables like green beans, kale, roast chicken, potatoes, etc.

More Vinaigrette Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Salad Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe

A very lemony vinaigrette with added champagne vinegar and herbs de provence, perfect for a bright crisp salad.

Course Salad Dressing

Cuisine French

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• juice of 1/2 lemon
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 6 to 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
• sea salt black pepper

Instructions

• Mix lemon juice, zest and vinegar together with dijon mustard.
• Slowly add olive oil or add and shake in jar.
• Add herbs, salt, pepper to taste.
• You can reserve the herbs for the salad along with the zest.
• Toss greens first with just enough dressing, not overdoing. How much you use will depend on how many greens you use.

Notes

In this salad, I used one bag of romaine lettuce and three to four handfuls of arugula.
I added in crumbled feta cheese and soft hard boiled eggs.

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