How to Make a Salad Bar-Style Lemon Tahini Dressing
I love the salad bar at my local boogie grocery store, but my favorite is their lemon tahini dressing. It’s full-bodied, nutty, slightly pungent and sweet, and makes any vegetable it touches, even the driest of broccoli, much more edible.
The creation of deception was an exercise in restraint. I started very hard with garlic and lemon, scorching the palate and drowning out the tahini aroma. Turns out the key to this dressing is for the lemon and garlic to complement the tahini, rather than distract from it. A little bit of neutral oil softens the harsher taste, while maple syrup makes it sweeter and rounder. The onion adds another allium element in addition to the garlic, which I initially didn’t think was necessary, but ultimately proved to be absolutely necessary.
Unlike the vinaigrette, this dressing requires a mixing device with blades to keep the garlic and onion properly mashed. Both classic and hand blenders work well as a food processor, provided you don’t exceed the recommended amount of liquid. To make it yourself, you will need:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon grape seed, canola, or other neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon chopped onion
Measure the tahini by first stirring thoroughly, scraping from the bottom to collect any nutrients that might settle there. Add the tahini to a blender along with the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth, scraping from all sides once. Pour into a container, cover and let stand for an hour before using to allow the garlic to fully saturate the dressing (it really does intensify). This dressing will last in the fridge for a week, but I doubt it will last that long, especially when you consider that it can be used outside of a salad (it makes a great marinade).