Garlic Scape Salad Dressing

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A great Salad Dressing doesn’t need to be complicated. That statement couldn’t be truer for this wonderful Garlic Scape Salad Dressing. The simplicity of the recipe allows the beautiful ingredients in this dressing to shine through. This is as light and refreshing Salad Dressing that doesn’t weigh down a dish with heaviness (such as those cream-heavy dressing). What gives this Dressing its unique flavor is the inclusion of the most wonderful of Springtime ingredients – Garlic Scapes

What is a Garlic Scape, and what’s it doing in my Salad Dressing?!

Simply put, a Garlic Scape is the stem from a Garlic Bulb. Garlic grows underground like a Potato or a Carrot. The stem is the part of the Garlic that sticks up above the ground, providing all the nutrients from the sun to the Garlic. When harvested, the stems are cut off and often sold separately

Garlic Scapes are legitimately an awesome ingredient to use in cooking. They carry all the typical flavor profiles and characteristics of Garlic, but with a few slight differences

The Flavor is a little milder, but a little sweeter than Garlic

Naturally a Garlic Scape is going to have a similar flavor profile to Garlic. It is technically still Garlic. That beautiful spicy flavors of Garlic comes through with a Garlic Scape. Just cut off a little bit and give it a try and you’ll see for yourself

Unlike the Garlic Bulb, however, Garlic Scapes do have a slightly milder flavor. This is important to consider when using it in cooking as you’ll typically need to add a little more Scapes to a dish than you would regular Garlic

While being milder, Garlic Scapes are also quite a bit sweeter than Garlic Bulbs. Once cooked, the pungent, sharpness of Garlic disappears, and it is replaced with a beautiful, sweet flavor. Scapes pack that sweet flavor in droves

As this Garlic Scape Salad Dressing does not use any cooked ingredients, we are using the Scapes for their wonderful sharp and spicy flavors. Garlic is a commonly used ingredient in Salad Dressing and Vinaigrettes. The Scapes are simply used as a substitute for Garlic

How to make an amazing Garlic Scape Salad Dressing

Making a great Salad dressing is easy. It all comes down to the sourcing of great ingredients. That’s really it. The better quality ingredients you can get your hands on, the better result you’ll achieve! For this recipe we use a very classic combination of dressing ingredients typical in a French Salad dressing

The dish consists of Garlic Scape, Olive Oil, Dijon Mustard, Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Honey, and Salt. The better quality ingredients you can use across the board with this dish, the tastier the result will be. So, try to avoid the generic home-brand Mustards and Oils and splash out a little bit more for some good quality. It’ll taste so much better

The ‘making’ of the Salad Dressing is really easy. In fact, there’s no cooking involved at all. All you need to do is combine the ingredients and mix them well. The mixing of ingredients is known as emulsifying (in fancy chef terms). A vigorous mixing technique is required to properly emulsify a Salad Dressing. This is mainly to ensure that the Olive Oil properly mixes with everything else

Techniques to emulsify a Salad Dressing

The best way to emulsify a Salad Dressing is to either use a whisk, or a sealable container (such as a glass jar). If using a whisk, add all the ingredients into a deep bowl (I like using the serving bowl we use for the Salad), and then whisk vigorously with a metal whisk

You don’t have to do it for long, only about 10 – 15 seconds of whisking will be enough to properly emulsify

Our preferred technique to emulsify a Salad Dressing is by using a sealable glass jar. Simply combine all of the ingredients into a jar. Seal it all up then shake it like crazy for a few seconds. You’ll achieve the same effect as by whisking it. However, this way you’ve got a container ready to go for refrigerating what you don’t need

Preparing the Garlic Scapes to be added into the dressing

Garlic Scapes are a funny ingredient. They don’t taste anything like how they look. They look like a mix of Scallions and Green Beans. To prepare them for the Salad Dressing, simply cut them lengthways into thin pieces. Then, pile them all up and dice them until they are finely chopped

We want to extract all of that beautiful Garlicky flavor from the Scapes, but don’t want huge chunks of it in the dressing. So, try to cut them as fine as you can. Then, straight into the bowl / jar with all the other ingredients it goes

Tasting is critical before adding your Garlic Scape Salad Dressing to the Salad

The same principle applies to nearly all cooking. Always taste your food as you are cooking it. When it comes to a Salad Dressing this is critically important. You have a window of opportunity to completely adjust the flavor of your dish before it’s too late. Once the Dressing is poured over the Salad it will be a lot more difficult to adjust the flavor

So, once you have mixed all the ingredients together, give it a good taste. What you are looking for is a sharp, bright flavor that isn’t too heavy or Salt. If the flavor is a little thin, try adding a little bit more Honey or Dijon Mustard to the Salad (not too much though!)

If it’s too bitter or acidic, you can round out the flavor with a bit more Olive Oil. Vice Versa if too Oily – just add a squeeze more Lemon. You do want it to be a little sour though, as that flavor is what helps to cut through the Salad ingredients

Regarding the Scapes, we recommend being quite aggressive with them. For this recipe we use about 3 heaped tsp. of Garlic Scapes (once they’ve chopped up). This is enough to ensure that beautiful Garlic flavor comes through in the dressing

What are some nice Salads that go well with a Garlic Scape Salad Dressing?

Honestly, this is such a versatile dressing that almost all leafy salads will benefit from this dressing. When we made this dish we enjoyed a simple Kale and Tomato Salad, and it came out amazing. You can head over to our Salads page here and peruse our tasty Salad dishes. Simply pick one that you like and try replacing the dressing or vinaigrette of that recipe with this Garlic Scape Salad Dressing. It’s going to taste great!

Garlic Scape Salad Dressing Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 heaped tsp. of Garlic Scapes, finely diced
• 1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp. Honey
• ⅓ cup Olive Oil
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• ½ tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• ½ tsp. Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients into a bowl or sealable jar (preferable)
2. Shake well or whisk well to combine / emulsify the ingredients, turning them into the Salad dressing
3. Taste for seasoning and adjust where necessary. Once ready, pour over your favorite Salad and mix well. Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving
   
   

Recipe Notes

• The Dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days after preparation. You’ll likely have a few leftovers using the quantities in this recipe, so plenty of opportunity to use it in another dish
• Taste the dressing and make any adjustments needed before adding it to a Salad
  
  

We cannot recommend trying this delicious Garlic Scape Salad Dressing more highly. It tastes delicious and is so easy to make! The Garlic Scapes give a fun and unique twist on this very traditional recipe and add their own subtle, nuanced flavor

If you’re looking for some yummy Salads to drizzle this delicious Dressing over, then you’re in luck! Here are a few of our recommended Salads to pair with this beautiful dressing:

• Greek Salad with Chicken
• Spicy Asian Poached Chicken Salad
• Kale Caesar Salad with White Anchovies
• Strawberry Romaine Salad with Green Apple
  
  

Happy Cooking!