Simple Lemon Vinaigrette

This vinaigrette is about as simple as it gets. It only has three ingredients and all you have to do is shake a jar to combine them. I frequently just add lemon juice and olive oil directly to my salad ingredients, but sometimes it can be nice to have it mixed up ahead of time. I like to have this to put on salads that I take for lunch or if I’m bringing a salad somewhere and want to be able to dress it quickly before we eat.

Traditionally a vinaigrette is one part acid to three parts oil, but I’ve always found that to taste bland and, well, oily. I generally prefer using equal parts acid to oil. On its own, it doesn’t taste great – it is way out of balance. But when it’s tossed with a salad, its intensity is diffused across all of the different ingredients. The higher levels of acidity will make all the other flavors pop. A little dressing goes a long way and this is intended to be added conservatively to salads. All of your ingredients should be coated but not sopping.

When stored in the fridge, the oil and lemon juice will separate. The oil will solidify when cold, so it may need to sit out for several minutes before the lemon juice and olive oil will emulsify when shaken.