Make Ahead

Eric Korsh's Farm Lettuces Salad with Dill Vinaigrette

by:
July  7, 2015
5
6 Ratings
Eric Korsh's Farm Lettuces Salad with Dill Vinaigrette
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4, with leftover vinaigrette
Author Notes

How to cheat just a little to get perfectly emulsified, bright, balanced, creamy vinaigrette—without dairy or mayo or magic. This version of the salad has followed Chef Eric Korsh through 6 years and 3 restaurants. But he's done variations of the dressing with other herbs like chervil or chives, and on other salads like barely-cooked Ruby Red shrimp and raw celery root. This template would also make for an excellent potato salad, chicken salad, or wedge—anywhere that you might think you need to involve a thick, mayo-based dressing, but would rather not this time. Adapted from Chef Eric Korsh and North End Grill. —Genius Recipes

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Dill Vinaigrette
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup (25 grams) picked dill fronds (from about 1/2 bunch)
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (19 grams) Dijon mustard
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 grams) Champagne or white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Farm Lettuces Salad
  • Lettuces of your choice (see note below)—enough for about 6 cups torn, washed and spun dry
  • 1 cup crumbled fresh sheep's milk feta
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup chives cut into 1-inch lengths
Directions
  1. Dill Vinaigrette
  2. Cook the egg in abundant boiling water for 7 minutes and 15 seconds, for barely set yolks and fully set whites. Rinse and peel in cold water to stop it from cooking futher.
  3. Blend egg, dill, Dijon, and Champagne vinegar until smooth. Note: For a lighter-colored dressing with more bits of green in it, you can pulse in the herbs toward the end—this is especially good to do if substituting more strongly flavored herbs like chives for the dill.
  4. Mix canola oil and olive oil and slowly, with the blender running, drizzle oil mixture in until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Any leftover dressing will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, though the color and fresh herb flavor may fade slightly after a day.
  1. Farm Lettuces Salad
  2. In choosing the lettuces, the salad should be bright and fresh. The leaves should be light, but stout enough to hold the other ingredients. Use red oak, green oak, and/or butter lettuce.
  3. Just before serving, toss the lettuce with dressing to taste (it should be just enough to lightly coat the leaves), plus feta, scallions, and chives.
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Genius Recipes

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

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28 Reviews

KVM
KVM March 8, 2024
I made this dressing years ago and we loved it!! I was so happy to have just found it again and will be making this evening. Thank you!
 
Clementine
Clementine June 26, 2022
I found myself with an abundance of dill from my CSA and this used up a healthy portion of it! I am not a huge dill fan outside of pickles but the flavor is tempered by the mustard/vinegar in the dressing and the saltiness of the feta.
 
brushjl
brushjl June 24, 2020
great salad! wonderful for delicate csa greens. also great use of my herb garden.
 
Theresa
Theresa November 4, 2018
This salad was the highlight of my dinner! I receiving a lot of compliments. I had cooked salmon as the main dish and a few of my guests actually drizzled a bit of the dressing over their main dish. If you’re looking for a flavorful and hearty salad, this is a keeper!
 
mainesoul
mainesoul July 30, 2018
I did not have dill so made it with parsley. It was very good. I will make it with dill soon. I really like that there was no dairy. the egg and fresh herbs make a nice thick dressing.
 
ariel A.
ariel A. July 5, 2018
Just made this with basil instead of dill – so good!
 
Linda K.
Linda K. May 6, 2018
Why didn't you include a recipe for the "picked" dill fronds? I always keep fresh frozen dill on hand - this should work for the Dill Vinaigrette?!
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. May 6, 2018
Hi Linda, that's "picked" not "pickled"—so that just means pulling the fronds off the sturdier stalks in this case. If your frozen dill still has a nice fresh flavor, it will work fine!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames November 27, 2017
A keeper if ever there was one. The dressing is extraordinary. I served this on Thanksgiving, adding thin slices of Honeycrisp apple and toasted pistachios, leaving out the feta or raw alliums. Loved by all! Glad to have plenty of dressing left over. ;o)
 
Beth
Beth June 9, 2016
The dill vinaigrette is amazing!! I don't have a blender right now so I whisked the egg and other ingredients together in a sauce pan over low heat until it thickened up some, then stored in the fridge until I used it. Delicious.
 
Jessica F.
Jessica F. January 3, 2016
I made this yesterday and it was wonderful; so glad there was extra dressing so I could have it again tonight. It's not just the dressing that makes it so delicious, it's the combination of the dressing and the feta that takes it over the top.
 
Susan W.
Susan W. August 27, 2015
This dressing is outstanding. I have lots of fresh basil processed with a little olive oil in the freezer and it's perfect. I add it after the dressing is emulsified. Just delicious.
 
Sandy
Sandy July 27, 2015
What if you substituted dried dill? Do you know what measurements would be? Jut thought I would try it today to check the taste before going to store for fresh. Thanks!
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. July 27, 2015
Dried herbs are much more intense, so the rule of thumb is to use half as much. Do you have any other fresh herbs? The fresh dill is really great here, and dried will have a woodier taste -- but you can always test it out in a smaller portion of the dressing to make sure you like it.
 
jdspring
jdspring July 16, 2015
I am wondering if this might work just as well with a poached egg or raw egg. (I'm not a fan of peeling hard boiled eggs, they always seem to stick to the shell.)
 
JP
JP July 15, 2015
Thanks Kristen. I assume the "yes" was to starting the eggs in already boiling water, not cold water.
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. July 15, 2015
Apologies -- already boiling water.
 
JP
JP July 16, 2015
Thanks Kristen. We made it tonight and it was superb.
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. July 16, 2015
Wonderful!
 
JP
JP July 13, 2015
Do you start the egg is cold water or already boiling water?
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. July 15, 2015
Yes!
 
Johanna
Johanna July 12, 2015
Incredible dressing. Big hit at a bbq this weekend.
 
Jody J.
Jody J. July 12, 2015
Aww I'm looking for something almost like this but have a family member who is not a dill fan - would this work with basil? or half chives and parsley?
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. July 15, 2015
Yes, feel free to experiment with different herbs (Eric Korsh does), though heed the note in step 2 about adding stronger-flavored herbs like chives later in blending.
 
Fresh T.
Fresh T. July 9, 2015
How long would this last in the fridge?
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. July 15, 2015
See step 4 of the dressing for details! (Essentially 3 to 4 days, with caveats.)
 
Kartoffellöffel
Kartoffellöffel July 8, 2015
Technically, doesn't this become a dill mayonnaise with the addition of the egg? Also, you may want to check your directions...you haven't indicated when to add the oil.
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. July 8, 2015
Thank you for noticing—it looks like a couple parts went missing, but it shoudl be updated now. And it's definitely thinner and more pourable than a mayonnaise or aioli, as well as less oily (more of its bulk seems to come from the cooked egg white and semi-cooked yolk).