This Greek salad dressing is a simple lemon and oregano vinaigrette: extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and dried oregano, shaken together in a jar.

It is bright and sharp, and it works on far more than salad. Use it on orzo salad, grilled vegetables, beans and potatoes, or as a quick marinade for chicken.

It takes five minutes and keeps for a week in the fridge.

What Is It?

Greek dressing is an olive oil and vinegar dressing flavoured with oregano and garlic, often with lemon juice. A little mustard helps it emulsify and a touch of honey softens the acidity.

It is not how a traditional Greek salad is dressed. A horiatiki is simply drizzled with olive oil, sometimes a splash of vinegar, and sprinkled with oregano at the table, so the tomato juices make their own dressing.

This jar dressing is useful for everything else: green salads, grain and pasta salads, and anything that needs a sharp, herby lift.

A Little History

Olive oil, vinegar, lemon and oregano are the basic seasonings of Greek cooking, used on everything from boiled greens to grilled fish.

Bottled ‘Greek dressings’ became popular in other countries as a way to bring those flavours to everyday salads. A homemade version uses better olive oil and no thickeners.

In Greece, the classic sauce built on similar ingredients is ladolemono, a simple mix of olive oil and lemon used on grilled fish, meat and vegetables.