Tonight’s report has been crafted by Ponzi, despite the way this report signs off.

Okay, okay, okay – everyone STOP with the salad dressing requests, please. Here is the beloved recipe that is so sought after, it has people from all over the world crying out for it (and Chris turning up his nose at every salad since having it).

Before I give it up, I gotta give props where props are due. This recipe was acquired on my most recent trip to SF to visit my dear friends, Tony and Jennifer (who I call Me, pronounced May, her name from childhood). She had her first son, Ryan, and I went down for a visit. He’s so adorable, it was love at first sight! While staying with them, Me kept saying Tony was going to make this fabulous dressing. Well, since we all know how I feel about salad dressing I will admit secretly thinking: “Oh boy, do I have to try another homemade dressing. Cardini’s or nothing on my greens, errrrrrr.” Of course, curiosity got the best of me after hearing my good friend rave about the dressing. It so happens it was made up by a friend of Tony’s, who is a fireman. So, it’s been named “The Fireman Salad Dressing.” All hail the SF fireman and their good tastes for this one! Here’s the original recipe I received:

1 can anchovies
3/4 cup olive oil
5-6 cloves of garlic (medium strength)
4 healthy shakes of Worcester sauce
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1-2 shakes of Italian seasoning
4 shakes of pepper
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon

Blend on low so contents are semi-chunky. Taste and add more if necessary. Sometimes one shake of salt helps.

I changed it a bit to suit our tastes (basically, because I couldn’t find canned anchovies). Here’s my version of the salad dressing. We are sort of picky, so all the ingredients were bought from Whole Foods and I’ll name brands for your convenience and precision of duplication:

  • 1 (3.17oz) jar of Rustichella D’Abruzzo anchovy filets in olive oil (drained)
  • 10-12 large cloves of garlic (start with 8 – Chris and I like it garlicky!)
  • 1 1/2 cups of Lykovouno extra virgin Greek olive oil (or whichever is your favorite high-quality olive oil)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp of Delouis organic Dijon mustard (or whichever is your fave)
  • 6-8 shakes of Lea & Perrine’s Worcestershire sauce (I put 8)
  • 1 tsp each of Oregano and Basil (ours are from Market Spice) crushed right before adding it to the mix
  • 1/2 tsp of Redmond all natural sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp of freshly ground black peppercorns (ours are from Market Spice)
  • 1/2 of a freshly squeezed lemon (I didn’t increase this ingredient as Chris doesn’t really like the added sweetness it gives)


So, there is our complicated version of the same thing! Basically, I tried the recipe as directed – and it tasted too “fishy” for me. I think there is more anchovy in a jar than in a can. I needed to add almost double the oil to get it to the flavor I wanted. I also emulsified the ingredients all together rather than leaving it chunky.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Use it as a marinade for fish or chicken – it’s tasty on flaky white fish. Careful about how much you sprinkle on. It only takes a small amount to give your greens a big kick! Toss your salad very lightly in it. You’ll become a believer; one bowl and you’ll want to eat salad every day! Thanks again to the Fireman in SF (and to Tony and Me Chu for passing on the recipe). It’s a keeper!

[tags]salad,salad dressing,worcestershire,olive oil,anchovy,sea salt,peppercorns,market spice,seasoning,garlic[/tags]