Always a Favorite Green Goddess Dressing
Green Goddess salad dressing had to be one of the most popular dressing when I was a kid. I’m talking about the one bottled by Seven Seas. It tasted sort of like modern-day Ranch dressing, but with lots more flavor and VERY green in color.
Probably because it was green, it was served at every one of my family’s Christmas party for years. Almost a table decoration. What can I say?
Then, just like it entered the culinary scene it disappeared. Poof…gone. Just like its friend Caesar salad.
Where did it go?
Favorite foods from that era, the ones that were really GOOD in taste, were heavy on the sour cream, cheese, especially cream cheese. And let’s not forget all those casseroles containing the beloved canned creamed soups–cream of mushroom and cream of chicken especially. (Confession time…I still use them.)
Even what we think of as healthy today, salads and soups, were LOADED with creamy goodness and fat, sodium and too-many-to-count calories.
So many of those dishes are gone from our tables. I think it was the fat and calories that did many favorite ’70s and ’80s recipes in.
But Green Goddess salad dressing lovers listen up. This story has a happy ending. I promise.
Everything old is new again
Lighter vinaigrette dressings have moved into first place in the salad dressing arena. I know that’s a good thing on a health level, but I LIKED Green Goddess Dressing. And as it turns out, the modern culinary world agrees. Greed Goddess dressing is BACK!
I am finding salads with my beloved Green Goddess salad dressing are on more and more restaurant menus.
(By the way, Panera has a REALLY TASTY Green Goddess Cobb Salad I would highly recommend if you haven’t tried it yet. Portions are so large it’s easy to share.)
Because it’s very Ranch-like in taste and texture, kids and teens love this dressing, too. Yes, it’s not the best thing health wise, but it’s loaded with fresh herbs. So kids are getting lots of nutrition when eating it. It’s a great way to get them to eat their veggies. They can more to lower fat dressings as their palates mature. Just remember…moderation with this dressing is key!
What’s in a Name
I hit a winner when looking into the history of Green Goddess Salad Dressing. It not only tastes great, but has a good story to go with it. And I LOVE a recipe with history!
The original Green Goddess salad dressing was created by chef Philip Roemer in 1923 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Chef Roemer created the recipe as a tribute to British stage actor and early “talkie” film star, George Arliss.
The actor, and hotel guest, was preforming William Archer’s popular play, The Green Goddess, so the recipe was named for the play’s title.
As a side note, George Arliss was first British actor to wine an Academy Award. He was nominated for Best Actor in two films in the same year, Disraeli and the Green Goddess, which had become a film in 1929. He won the Oscar for Disraeli.
Modern Version vs Classic Green Goddess
The Original Green Goddess Dressing is made with mayo, sour cream, fresh parsley, fresh chives, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and anchovy fillets blended until smooth.
Today’s Green Goddess dressing comes with so many variations–all good I have to admit.
Some versions are made with avocado and cilantro for a smooth Mexican flare. Avocado and parsley versions make for a smooth and fresh flavor.
Most dressings are made with mayo and sour cream as their base, which is just like the original.
My dressing version stays close to the original, swapping out plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream (trying to save a few fat grams and add nutrition with fresh herbs.)
Rice vinegar replaces the white wine vinegar, and a smidge of Dijon mustard along with fresh tarragon also gets added.
The recipe makes a great sauce, too. Its the perfect topping for your roasted asparagus or grilled salmon.
How to Make Green Goddess Salad Dressing
- Rough chop all the herbs and measure.
- Using a a blender or using a hand-held immersion (stick) blender, BLEND all the ingredients until smooth.
- So simple.
Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
- 1/3 cup fresh tarragon
- 1/4 cup fresh chives or green onion
- 2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about ½ of a large lemon)
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2-3 anchovy fillets (or 1/2-1 teaspoon anchovy paste)
- 1-2 clove garlic, chopped chopped
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a blender or using an hand-held immersion (stick blender, BLEND mayonnaise, yogurt, parsley, tarragon, chives/green onion, lemon juice, rice vinegar, Dijon mustard, anchovy, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper in a blender until smooth.
