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With bright, fresh flavor, this Lemon Dill Dressing is super easy to throw together and is delicious on greens and veggies as well as chicken, fish and shrimp!
Summer has (unofficially) arrived here in North Carolina and we’ve watched the barren, cold mountains around us transform to brilliant spring green and now take on the deeper hues of early summer. We’re planning to enjoy lots of light, lean meals from the grill and an array of salads drizzled with this delicious Lemon Dill Dressing.
Super simple
The dressing’s super easy to make, with just a few everyday ingredients. It’s not a throw-everything-in-the-jar-and-shake number, but almost as simple. You want to thoroughly mix the Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice and garlic together before adding the oil because otherwise, the dressing can separate a bit. That’s the only trick for this bright, flavor-filled dressing.
This Lemon Dill Dressing is so versatile and wonderful with lots of different types of greens, veggies and entrees. I love to serve it drizzled over this Arugula Salmon Salad with Israeli Couscous.
One ingredient you might not have in your pantry or refrigerator is fresh dill. Don’t try to substitute the dry version, as it just won’t be the same. The combination of fresh dill and lemon is such an amazingly fresh burst of summery flavor.
What’s a good quality Dijon mustard?
You’ll also want a good quality Dijon mustard for this Lemon Dill Dressing. What makes a mustard Dijon? And what’s a “good quality Dijon”? So glad you asked!
Dijon mustard is named after the town of Dijon, in the Burgundy region of France. The area around Dijon has been a center of mustard making since the early Middle Ages. Dijon mustard traditionally consists of mustard seeds, white wine and spices. It has a tangy, more robust flavor than it’s milder, yellow mustard cousin. The spicier flavor of Dijon comes from the brown and/or black mustard seeds that are used to make it. Yellow mustard seeds are much milder in flavor.
According to reviews from Cooking Light, Saveur, Serious Eats and Cooks Illustrated, some of the best Dijons in the world are Grey Poupon, Edmond Fallot (Thomas Keller’s top pick) Maille, Amora (favorite mustard of David Lebovitz) and Pommery Meaux. Each one has different flavor characteristics, so you might want to try a few and then pick your own favorite. I personally love Maille. If you can find Maille mustard that’s made in France, it’s especially delicious. I used to stock up when visiting my daughter in London, but have recently discovered the French version on Amazon!
I’ve found that generic, grocery store brand Dijon mustards generally don’t have great flavor. The one exception is Trader Joe’s Dijon. It’s actually made by a mustard maker (moutardier) right outside the city of Dijon in France. The TJ’s mustard is made with brown mustard grains, which are left whole, rather than ground up, giving the mustard a nice texture and a bold flavor. It’s delicious and very reasonably priced.
Why not olive oil?
When you read the recipe, for this Lemon Dill Dressing, you’ll see that it calls for a mild-tasting oil (like sunflower, safflower, avocado, canola, grapeseed or vegetable oil). You might be wondering, why not olive oil? If you’re a regular Café follower, you know that I love olive oil and use it in lots of recipes. I found that in this recipe, however, it seemed to fight with the lemon and Dijon flavors. If you have a very mild flavored olive oil, it will be fine. Otherwise, stick with one of the mild-flavored oils mentioned above.
So there you have it; a delightful salad dressing to get you through the hot months ahead. Keep a jar of this Lemon Dill Dressing stashed in the refrigerator and fresh, light dinners will be easy to prepare and enjoy any time!
Cafe Tips for making this Lemon Dill Dressing
- What to do with this Lemon Dill Dressing?
- Make our Arugula Salmon Salad with Israeli Couscous!
- It’s delicious drizzled over grilled chicken, shrimp or fish
- Serve with any type of green salad.
- Drizzle it over roasted veggies like asparagus, carrots, green beans…
- It’s delicious combined with chunky sliced cucumbers for a super simple salad.
- Combine a few tablespoons with cooked couscous or pearl pasta for a delicious side.
- Use it as a dipping sauce for warm focaccia or bread.
- I really like the big beautiful bunches of fresh dill that you find in the produce section of many larger grocery stores. The price is about the same as the small plastic cartons that you find at many stores and it’s so much fresher. Several of my local grocers carry it this way. I also find these bunches of dill at Whole Foods.
- This dressing will keep well in the refrigerator for at least a week stored in an airtight container.
Thought for the day:
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm 46:1-3
What we’re listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
With bright, fresh flavor, this easy Lemon Dill Dressing is perfect with greens and veggies as well as chicken, fish and shrimp!
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 medium garlic clove finely minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup mild-flavored oil sunflower, safflower, avocado, grapeseed, canola, vegetable
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
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Whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper until completely blended.
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Add oil in a slow steady stream, whisking continuously until thick and creamy. Add dill and stir well.
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Refrigerate until ready to use.
Micki says
It was absolutely perfect! Thanks for the Dijon mustard tips, super helpful!
Chris Scheuer says
I’m so glad, Micki!
Meghan says
This looks great!! Thanks for the recipe Chris, and also for the tip about TJ’s Dijon mustard (; The salmon salad looks so filling & fresh! Thank you also for Psalm 46:1-3, that made my day!!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Meghan!💕
Susan says
Love the fresh dill & lemon taste. I mixed a little too much. How can I thin it out? Water? Oil?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, you could thin it with a little water, Susan. Or just let it sit for a bit and see if it thins.
Stephanie says
Thanks so much for another really great recipe. I have fresh dill in my garden, and this was delicious!!! I appreciated your tip to not use olive oil, because that is the oil I would have used.
Chris Scheuer says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Stephanie!
Jen says
Unbelievably delicious! I used it on a spring salad and then on roasted asparagus, but it would be good on almost anything. Very versatile.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Jen! I appreciate you taking the time to share your results!
Jackie says
I take a salad for lunch daily, and today I though I’d shake it up with a different dressing recipe. Oh my goodness, this dressing is delicious! Same salad, but lovely new flavour! I think I’ll use it every day!
Chris Scheuer says
Love that! Thanks, Jackie!
Lori Coulston says
An excellent dressing with a tangy kick–fresh and light. Very easy to make.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Lori!
Michele says
Thank you, lovely simple but interesting dressing. I followed recipe exactly. I used it with quiche and salad but I’d say it’ll be perfect with salmon too. Personally I’d use less salt next time.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Michele! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Kim says
This dressing is excellent!! It’s so light, fresh and flavorful! Love it with arugula and broccoli!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Kim! I appreciate you taking the time to share your results.
David says
Definite win. I bumped up the profile a little adding some lemon zest, went with grapeseed oil and a little extra dill. The family loved it!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, David! We appreciate you sharing your results! So happy you enjoyed this dressing.
vivian says
Thanks for the lovely recipe! The lemon makes it taste much fresher than vinegar, perfect for springy food.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Vivian!
Dianne says
I have made this dressing many times and thank you. It is light and perfect with my Salmon. Just in case you wanted a little history of Dijon Mustard, 80% of the mustard seed comes from Canada. We ship it acrosss the pond. They make the product. We then import it back to Canada and purchase the Mustard. Who knew?
Chris Scheuer says
Who knew is right! That is fascinating. So happy you have enjoyed the dressing:)
Patti Shannon says
I know you’re in Asheville; I’m in Etowah and I buy Maille Dijon mustard at World Market in south Asheville (Arden).
Chris Scheuer says
That’s so good to know, Patti! Thanks!
Billy says
This dressing looks so delicious! I can’t wait to use it on the next salad I make for the family. Thanks so much for sharing. The only dill I’ve really ever had was with dill pickles, but I definitely want to include it in more recipes.
Billy says
Definitely going to make and use this dressing the next time I head to the grocery store. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I love dressings that have dill in them.
Chris Scheuer says
Enjoy!
Debra Eliotseats says
Love the flavors of summer in this cruet! I am imagining that salmon salad as well, Chris.
cheri says
This dressing sounds amazing, love dill. Can’t wait to see your salmon dish;)
Susan says
The dressing is every bit as important as the rest of the ingredients in a salad and this dressing looks wonderful! I love dill!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
I just bought a dill plant for my garden, so I’m all set to make this one all summer long! And I will 🙂 Yum!
Royce Robertson says
This looks good enough to drink. Thank you for the lovely recipe. Just gotta find me some fresh dill so I can make it.
Sandra L Garth says
My son has lots of dill growing in his backyard and he doesn’t know what to do with it. I’ll gladly take it off his hands. This sounds delicious!
Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert says
Another wonderful dressing recipe Chris! I love the combination of lemon and dill – so fresh and bright. Can’t wait for that beautiful salad recipe too. Have a happy weekend!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland says
This is so pretty, Chris, and I agree with you, fresh dill is amazing, and so fragrant. I really need to think about planting some so I’ll never be without it. I could slurp this down with a straw!
Liz says
My mom loved adding dill to her salads, so I have a feeling this dressing willl be divine! Plus the salmon and couscous salad sounds right up my alley. Can’t wait to see that recipe.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I really should use dill more in my dressings. Your lemon dill dressing sounds really great, Chris.
Ginny Hartzler says
Yes, I have fresh dill, and Grey Poupon, too! But now I will look at Trader Joes. I will be trying this, it looks so bright and flavorful. I have just ordered one of those fresh spice keepers, and it should be here today. Now, I have dill and basil in a pot. That is not perfect, though, as I have to keep them hidden from the cats in another room. So i’m hoping to just buy fresh and keep them in this gizmo in the fridge.