I’ve rattled on in my weekly emails about my love for limes, particularly the local variety that grows so abundantly in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The citrus of Louisiana is really second to none.
Take a minute to read up on the risks of a rare but highly uncomfortable condition called phytophotodermatitis that can be caused by handling limes, other citrus, and a bunch of other plants. I’ve had it. It sucks.
But limes are still great, especially in vinaigrettes like this one. In its most basic form, you could squeeze a half a lime, drizzle a tablespoon of EVOO, a pinch of salt, and crack a bit of pepper on a salad and call it a very good lunch.
If you want to make your own fresh dressing, though, you can make a bunch of this herb-packed vinaigrette and make it stretch throughout most of the week–long enough to use up the delicate greens in that big box of letttuce that always end up going bad.
Of course, lime provides a pretty serious dose of the sour taste, so Ayurveda says to slow your roll with it if you’ve got elevated Pitta or Kapha.
Everything you need to make an outstanding vinaigrette
Citrus + Herb Vinaigrette
1-2 Tbls finely chopped fresh herbs
1 Tbls minced shallot
1 tsp minced garlic
juice of 1 lime (about 1 Tbls)
2 tsp dijon mustard
3/4 c. EVOO
salt & pepper to taste
Finely chop whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. I regularly use some combination of rosemary, basil, tarragon, thyme, and mint. A Tablespoon or two is good.
Squeeze in a whole lime with your fancy citrus press thingy. Or with your powerful fist.
If you don’t have any fresh limes, you can use 1 Tablespoon of red wine vinegar–but never bottled lime juice!
Add a hefty dollop of Dijon mustard and stir with a fork or a mini whisk.
Add some minced shallots (or some type of onion) and a minced garlic clove or two.
Slowly add the EVOO. Keep whisking until incorporated. Add a generous pinch of salt and grind some pepper to taste. Whisk it all together very well.
Decant into a glass jar. I use little glass bottles with swing top lids because they seal nicely for fridge storage.
Always label with the date to avoid unintentional science experiments, but this stuff is so good, you’ll definitely be eating more veggies with it as your go-to sauce. If you make a cup of it, try to use it up within four or five days.
And, please, learn from my example–always wash citrus oils off your hands with soap!