Anchovy Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
The salad dressing of the moment
If you live anywhere in the northeastern US, or nearly anywhere else for that matter, it’s cold. It’s windy. It’s snowing, at least for now. It’s a great time to barricade yourself indoors and make some soup, something I’ve been seeing a lot of on the ol’ timeline.
I’ll be doing that myself this weekend. But ahead of that, I’d suggest something to pair with whatever steaming crock you’re huddling around, something bright and zippy that will quicken your winterized senses. After all, it is citrus season, and we’d be remiss not to take advantage of it.
This anchovy & Meyer lemon dressing is great for a salad that complements your snow-day soup. It’s a bit like a Caesar with an electric shock of lemon — flesh, rind, and all, which are blended together and work quite well thanks to the Meyer lemon’s uncommon sweetness and a quick salt-sugar cure.
You can put this on just about everything, but given the season, it’s excellent with a variety of radicchios or a chiffonade of raw collard greens (which I staunchly believe should be in more salads). You can also add a variety of chopped herbs to the dressing.
Anchovy & Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Makes about 1/2 - 3/4 pint
Ingredients
1 Meyer lemon
5-6 oil-packed anchovy filets
1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (or red wine, sherry, Champagne, etc.)
1 small clove of garlic, finely grated
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt (or mayonnaise, creme fraiche, labneh, etc.)
1/2 tablespoon of honey
Extra virgin olive oil
White sugar
Warm water, as needed
Instructions
Slice the Meyer lemon into thin rounds, then mince them finely. Toss them with kosher salt and white sugar and let them sit covered in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Add the chopped lemon, anchovies, vinegar, garlic, Dijon, yogurt, and honey to a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
Keeping the processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until it reaches the desired volume. It should be smooth and emulsified. If it needs to be thinned out a bit more, add a small amount of warm water with the processor running. (If it’s too thin, add more mustard and yogurt.)
Season with salt and black pepper to taste. It can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days, although if you are trying to store it longer, I recommend omitting the anchovy and garlic.