Samin Nosrat’s go-to salad dressing
Or: How to love your salads.
Cooking
June 28, 2025
Vinaigrette is being spooned onto a leafy green salad.
Samin Nosrat’s house dressing. Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

You do win friends with salad

By Mia Leimkuhler

I love my husband for many reasons that I won’t go into here, because gross. But one of them is that he makes really good salad dressing. “What’s in this?” I ask as I happily eat forkful after forkful of healthy green leaves. Oh, a bit of this, some of that, he replies, saying something about fish sauce and a lot of vinegar (at this point, I’ve stopped paying attention and am really focused on the salad).

Point is, knowing how to make a perfect salad dressing is a great life skill and, in some cases, a good way to earn someone’s affection. In our newest Cooking 101 episode, Samin Nosrat shows us how to make her house dressing, a sherry-shallot number from Rita Sodi and Jody Williams of the West Village trattoria Via Carota. Samin also shares recipes for her creamy lemon-miso dressing and sesame-ginger dressing. You can watch her make her dressings here:

A diptych shows Samin Nosrat in the NYT Cooking kitchen studio next to a jar of her house dressing.
“The recipes here aren’t just simple, they take any kind of greens you have on hand to the next level.” Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards (left). The New York Times (right).

“While none of these are hard to make,” Samin writes, “a hand-held immersion blender makes light work of the dressings, and a sharp knife will make dicing shallots for the vinaigrette immeasurably easier. I like to make them in wide-mouthed jars, then cap and store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.” Lovable salads, at the ready.

Featured Recipe

House Dressing

View Recipe →

MORE SUPERB SUMMER SALADS

Eating your greens made easy.

Article Image

Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Greg Lofts.

Charred Corn and Chickpea Salad With Lime Crema 

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

1,215

20 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Article Image

Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

Maroulosalata (Green Salad With Feta and Dill)

By Farideh Sadeghin

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

703

35 minutes

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Article Image

Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.

Snap Pea, Tofu and Herb Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce 

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

658

30 minutes

Makes 4 servings 

Today’s specials

Satay-style grilled chicken thighs: Don’t be deterred by the total time listed for Sherry Rujikarn’s recipe — almost all of that is marinating time, when your boneless, skinless thighs will be hanging out in a bath of coconut milk, fish sauce, vinegar, curry paste, brown sugar and curry powder. The prep and cook time is 30 minutes or less each, and I’m guessing it’ll take similarly little time to devour this dish.

Fish Milanese: If you make extra of these golden, pan-fried white fish fillets from Kay Chun, you’ll be all set for fish sandwiches or tacos or rice bowls or salads. The more you know!

Chocolate chia pudding: Is this versatile Naz Deravian recipe an easy make-ahead breakfast, a cooling dessert or a satisfying afternoon snack? Yes.

Article Image

Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Satay-Style Grilled Chicken Thighs

By Sherry Rujikarn

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

9

2 hours 50 minutes 

Makes 6 servings

Article Image

Dane Tashima for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Fish Milanese

By Kay Chun

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarUnfilled Star

1,241

30 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Article Image

Nico Schinco for The New York Times, Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.

Chocolate Chia Pudding

By Naz Deravian

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarUnfilled Star

105

15 minutes, plus 8 hours resting

Makes 6 servings

And before you go

As my colleague Sam Sifton might say, it’s got nothing to do with basil or boba, but I’ve so been enjoying the rollout of the 100 best movies of the 21st century. You can vote for your 10 best movies of the century, too, which I haven’t done yet (but know that “Perfect Days,” “Paddington 2” and “The Boy and the Heron” will all rank very high on my list).

Thanks for reading!

One quick and easy recipe in your inbox each night to answer that eternal question: What’s for dinner?

Sign up for the Dinner Tonight newsletter.

One quick and easy recipe in your inbox each night to answer that eternal question: What’s for dinner?

Get it in your inbox
Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties.

Sign up for The Veggie newsletter

Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties.

Get it in your inbox

If you received this newsletter from someone else, subscribe here.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times.

To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings.

Subscribe to NYT Cooking

Connect with us on:

facebookxinstagrampinterestwhatsapp

Change Your EmailPrivacy Policy