Name: Mediterranean Salad Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 250ml (1 cup) olive oil; 90ml (6 tbsp) red wine vinegar; 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed; 1.25ml (¼ tsp) salt; 2.5ml (½ tsp) dried basil; 5ml (1 tsp) dried oregano; 1 lemon, juiced; 5ml (1 tsp) Dijon mustard

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When the sun comes out, I always take the opportunity to make a beautiful and healthy salad. During these times, I don’t have cravings for anything else than something light. In combination with a fabulous Mediterranean salad dressing, a salad can be just as filling and nutritious as a hearty meal.

In my opinion, all salads are about the dressing. Once you learn how to make this Mediterranean salad dressing, you’d wish you made it years ago. Funnily enough, I’ve mastered this Mediterranean salad dressing myself during my travels to Sicily. It’s always best to learn Mediterranean recipes from local chefs. Plus, they know exactly how to treat fresh ingredients to make the salad as best as it can be.

To learn more about my travels to Sicily, check out my post on ‘Things to do in Cefalu’. There, you’ll also discover my Sicilian octopus salad, with which I think this dressing goes very well. In the end, you can never go wrong by going on a Mediterranean diet. Just look how healthy and fit the people are!

ingredients you might need

Here are a few ingredients which you might want to consider if you feel like tweaking this salad dressing to your taste:

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena 25 years – the older it is the better it tastes! I tried premium balsamic in Italy, and I’ve had difficulties adjusting to the normal stuff in the supermarket.
Organic Dijon Mustard – excellent choice as a condiment
Heinz Honey Mustard – you can reuse this for meat rubs
LoveSome Yellow Mustard – in case you don’t have any in the fridge
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – it’s always a good idea to use organic virgin olive oil in your salads
Organic Olives – in case you ran out
Sanniti Capers – an excellent substitute for feta because of its salty flavour
Delfino Anchovies – perhaps you are a lover of all things Mediterranean?

easy 5 minute Mediterranean salad dressing

One thing I really love about this Mediterranean salad dressing is that’s it’s super simple. Once you take out the condiments, ingredients and seasoning, it will only take you five minutes to whip up a rocking salad dressing.

All in all, this Mediterranean salad dressing is tangy and has a distinct taste, thanks to the mustard. You can substitute Dijon mustard with different types of mustard. If you like your salad dressing sharp and peppery, then use Djjon mustard. If you want to tone down the sharpness of the mustard, pair it with honey. Just take a look at my honey mustard salad dressing for inspiration.

Since this Mediterranean salad dressing is based on lemon juice and mustard, you can practically combine it will all sorts of salads. For example, it goes exceptionally well with other Mediterranean salads which contain the typical ingredients from the region:

pear and rocket salad – combines well with the sharp taste of the rocket salad
fig salad with parma ham – pairs well with the sweetness of the figs
It also works as a dip or sauce for roasted artichoke hearts

No matter what type of salad you select, this dressing will beautifully bind all the ingredients together.

Mediterranean Greek salad dressing

This Mediterranean salad dressing is versatile. It pairs well with Italian, Greek and Turkish dishes – practically any dish from the Mediterranean region. I’ve combined it with a traditional Greek salad. It’s super easy to assemble. Just use humble ingredients like the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives (optional) and combine them with a creamy feta cheese.

You can also make the Greek salad vegan and omit the cheese. It won’t compromise the flavour of the salad. Besides, the Mediterranean salad dressing will do its job by adding the extra flavour.

Otherwise, you can always make a sugar-free salad dressing or explore the health benefits of a tangy watercress salad dressing.

healthy Mediterranean salad dressing

There are ways how you can make this Mediterranean salad dressing healthier. The secret here is to use either dried or fresh herbs. Instead of using dried oregano or dried basil, try to source them in their fresh state. Otherwise, you can also consider:

chives or these chives substitutes – for a subtle oniony taste
tarragon or these top tarragon substitutes
thyme or these thyme substitutes

how to control the acidity

The recipe calls for a dash of red wine vinegar. Of course, you can also use white wine vinegar, more lemon juice, or even lime juice. The beauty of this dressing here is that you are in control of the level of acidity. If you wish to have the Mediterranean dressing a bit sweeter, then hold back on the acidic elements.

Just add a hint of water to control the consistency of the dressing. Otherwise the salad dressing will be too thick and viscuous. Also, if you water the dressing down a bit, you’ll have more dressing in the end and the same amount of calories!

store bought Mediterranean salad dressing

ingredients of Mediterranean cuisine

Did you know that Mediterranean food originated from ancient Egypt? When one thinks of Mediterranean cuisine, the mind goes straight to pita, hummus, fresh herbs and olive oil.

So, what are the other very common ingredients used throughout this region?

Olive oil – this is because there are a lot of olive tress that are native to the Mediterranean
Wheat – pasta, bread, shortbread, you name it. People always consume wheat in some shape or form.
Grapes – just think how delicious wine from this region is; this is because of the wonderful grapes.
Meat and seafood – oh yes, anything that’s possible to grill. Just think about grilled pork, chicken skewers, fish, squid, etc.
Fresh herbs and spices like basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
Lemons, oranges and pomegranates.

These are the mostly distinguished foods and ingredients of the Mediterranean. Thus, it is no surprise that this salad dressing bears the name Mediterranean.