House Dressing

By Samin Nosrat

Updated June 30, 2025

  • Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
10 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Rating
5(3,409)
Comments
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This perfect vinaigrette recipe comes from Via Carota, the charming West Village restaurant run by Jody Williams and Rita Sodi. Since I first wrote about this recipe, it’s become indispensable not only for me but also for my entire Culinary Brain Trust, who now simply call it House Dressing. This version comes from my book, “Good Things” (Random House, 2025). The warm water in this recipe might surprise you. “We add warm water to make it more palatable,” Ms. Williams said. “Pure vinegar is just too strong — it assaults the taste buds. We want a salad dressing so savory and delicious that you can eat spoonfuls of it. We want you to be able to drink it!” Drizzle this liberally over everything: boiled asparagus, farro salad, steak, fish or roast chicken. And if you don’t have both types of mustard on hand, just use twice as much of whichever you do have.

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Ingredients

Yield:1½ cups

  • 1 large shallot, very finely diced

  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon aged sherry vinegar, plus more as needed

  • 1 tablespoon warm water

  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1½ teaspoons honey

  • 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

  • 1½ teaspoons whole-grain mustard

  • 2 thyme sprigs, washed leaves picked and finely chopped (about ½ teaspoon)

  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

2 grams carbs; 169 calories; 13 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 73 milligrams sodium; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the shallot in a fine-mesh sieve and quickly rinse with cold water. Allow to drain, then place in a medium bowl. Add vinegar and warm water, and let the shallot mixture sit for 2 minutes

  2. Step 2

    Whisk in oil, honey, both mustards, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the salt and vinegar as needed.

  3. Step 3

    Cover and refrigerate remaining dressing for up to 1 week.

Tip

  • To make a crunchy and refreshing green salad, toss Little Gem lettuce (or your favorite variety of baby lettuce), thinly shaved fennel, tender dill fronds, whole cilantro and parsley leaves, 1-inch pieces of chives and dressing. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Delicately mound onto a serving platter and serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,409 user ratings
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Comments

Gale

Rinsing and a brief soak of alliums will minimize any sharpness (which even shallots often have) and mellow out the taste. Do try it once and it won't be the last time you do it.

GardenGazer

I use an old Good Seasons cruet to make an almost identical dressing. The markings on the cruet for vinegar, water, and oil are perfect and it provides a great way to store the dressing. I add the add-ins (honey, herbs, mustard) after the basic vinaigrette. Luckily, I think you can still buy the cruets.

Jennifer

This is now my go-to everyday dressing. I make the full amount at the weekend and add it to fresh salads throughout the week. It makes me feel in control of things even as the rest of the world appears to be falling apart.

Gale S

I prefer less or no honey in the dressing. It was still delicious, but the delicate flavor of the sherry vinegar was lost with the honey. Also used only 3/4 cups of olive oil.

Mary Thorpe

Just noting that you really do need to mince the shallots finely.

Rhonda Evans

I like the low acidity as it suits my finicky stomach. I used my mini food processor and pulsed the vinegar water, thyme, salt and shallot until the shallot looked very fine. I then added the olive oil and pureed the dressing. This was a much faster process, but I am sure will not appeal to purists. I didn't find the shallots to have a string flavour.

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