Have you ever had an abundance of fresh herbs and not know how to use them up before they go bad? I started growing some of my own herbs this year and quickly realized that they can overtake your garden in a flash. One of the easiest things to make with fresh herbs is a vinaigrette. Paired with a complimentary fruit, you can whip up a delicious vinaigrette fairly quickly.
For this recipe I went with the pairing of strawberries and basil. There are many more combinations that work just as well, but we will discuss those a bit later in this post.
What Type Of Oil Is Best For A Vinaigrette?
The base of any good vinaigrette is the oil you choose. While it may seem that any oil will work, using one that has a lighter flavor is key when making a vinaigrette. You don’t want the flavor of the oil to overpower the fruit/herb combination you have chosen.
My go-to oil for any salad dressing base is a light olive oil. In the case of oil, light refers to the taste of the oil, not the fat content. Oil is all fat, therefore when you see an oil labeled as “light” it is referring to the flavor. Using regular olive oil has too strong of a flavor for this recipe.
What Combinations Of Fruit And Herbs Can I Use?
There are literally endless possibilities here. Keeping the same vinaigrette base, you can swap out any of these combinations for another delicious flavor profile. But keep in mind that the balsamic vinegar works well with strawberries, but may not work with other fruits.
Experiment with whatever you like, but when in doubt you can substitute white or red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or champagne vinegar as well.
- Lemon Dill. Substitute lemon for the lime juice, 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, and use white wine vinegar.
- Cilantro Lime. Double the amount of lime juice, replace basil with cilantro, and remove the fruit.
- Basic Italian. Swap out the balsamic and use white or red wine vinegar, instead of fruit and herbs use minced garlic and Italian seasoning.
- Creamy Vinaigrette. To make any vinaigrette into a creamy version, add 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt or sour cream.
Where Can I Use A Vinaigrette?
While the obvious choice is to top a salad, there are plenty of other uses for homemade vinaigrettes.
- Any of the fruit based ones work surprisingly well drizzled on top of vanilla ice cream.
- The lemon dill version would work tossed into these sautéed green beans.
- Use the Italian version for a great chicken marinade.
- The creamy vinaigrette makes a great dip for veggies. Add enough yogurt or sour cream to make it the correct consistency for a dip.
Strawberry Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries chopped
- 1/2 cup light oil
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup basil leaves fresh
- pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together oil, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Add berries and basil and blend with an immersion blender.
- Alternatively, you could add all ingredients to a stand blender and pulse until desired consistency.