5 Great Olive Oils for Salads, According to Chefs
Salad and dressing
Olive oil is more of a workhorse in the kitchen than we sometimes give it credit for. When it comes to our go-to bottle of oil for any purpose, the right olive oil can be a one-stop-shop. Whether it’s heated or not, employed for stir fries or salads, or even used in baked goods, olive oil can rise to just about every culinary challenge. (Not convinced? Read about How Experts Choose and Use Olive Oil.)
The most common use of a quality, full-flavored olive oil, however, is of course for salads. The olive oil you use to dress a great salad can be just as much a star of the show as the vegetables, grains, or any other ingredients used to compose your creation, whether as a side dish or a main event.
Favored Flavor Profiles of Olive Oils for Salads
Grassy
Peppery
Fruity
Brightness
“Not all olive oils are created equal and that’s especially true when it comes to salad dressings,” says chef and educator Dennis Littley of Ask Chef Dennis. “For me, a great olive oil for salads and vinaigrettes should be bold but balanced — you're not cooking off the flavors, so you want something with character, such as something grassy, peppery, even a bit fruity depending on the blend.”
“For salads, the right olive oil has a fresh and clean flavor, bringing brightness and depth such that you don’t need much else,” says Chef Maria Lawton, author of “Azorean Cooking: From My Family Table to Yours.”
Littley and Lawton, as well as several other chefs, share their picks on five great olive oils for salads, as well as their go-to vinaigrette recipes for letting those olive oils shine.
Olive Oils for Salad
California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Reserve
Wildly Virgin Joao's Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
La Boîte Moshe Olive Oil
Laudemio Frescobaldi
Corto Truly 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
California Olive Ranch
California Olive Ranch is the largest olive oil producer in the United States and a pioneer in super high density planting and mechanical harvesting.
“I love California Olive Ranch’s Extra Virgin Reserve,” says Littley. Under its reserve label California Olive Ranch bottles three expressions, for mild, medium, and robust flavors. Littley employs all three, but for salads he recommends the robust Miller’s Blend. “It’s bright, with a nice peppery kick that complements leafy greens beautifully without overwhelming them,” he says. “I love using it in a simple arugula salad with shaved fennel and orange segments. It’s just a few ingredients, and the olive oil really ties everything together.'
A go-to vinaigrette for Littley: “You can’t go wrong with 3 parts olive oil, 1 part sherry vinegar, a spoonful of Dijon mustard, a pinch of sea salt, and a crack of black pepper,” he says. “Whisk it together until it emulsifies and you’ve got a dressing that works on pretty much everything.''
Wildly Virgin olive oil
Wildly Virgin is a Portuguese brand of single-origin olive oils that sources from among Portugal's top olive oil producers. Wildly Virgin’s Joao’s Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil — deemed its “everyday cooking” option — is a favorite of Lawton’s for salads.
“It has this beautiful, well-balanced flavor that reminds me of the fresh oils we tasted growing up,” says Lawton, “vibrant and grassy, with just a touch of that classic peppery bite at the end. My favorite way to use it is to drizzle it over ripe tomatoes, cucumbers and onions with a pinch of sea salt,” she says. “Simple, but it tastes like home.”
A go-to vinaigrette for Lawton: “When the ingredients are good, no need to complicate it,” she says. “My favorite preparation is based on a well-loved ratio of 3 parts olive oil to 1 part acid, with 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1 clove of grated garlic added for extra flavor and emulsification,” she says. Lawton advises letting it rest after whisking for the flavors to incorporate.
La Boite Moshe olive oil
La Boîte is a New York City based atelier that produces restaurant quality spice blends and oils founded by Chef Lior Lev Sercarz, who also authored a number of books on the topic including “Mastering Spice: Recipes and Techniques to Transform Your Everyday Cooking.” Having grown up on an olive oil farm in Israel, naturally he has an opinion on the matter.
“Moshe Olive Oil is ideal for recipes where the olive oil is meant to be the star,” says Lev Sercarz. Made from Tzuri olives from the region of Galilee, “This unfiltered oil offers a rich, verdant flavor with a distinct, zesty peppery finish,” he says. “Imagine fresh heirloom tomatoes or smoky charred eggplant with a pinch of smoked salt and a generous drizzle of this liquid gold — it's a moment of reverential joy.”
A go-to vinaigrette for Lev Sercarz: “It’s essentially half olive oil and half simple white vinegar, then we stir in some of our Riviera Herbs [a blend of rosemary, basil, mint, and thyme] and a little seasoning to balance it all out,” he says. “It hits that sweet spot between the comforting nostalgia of a Wishbone-style dressing and the elegant simplicity of the European vinaigrettes I grew up with.”
Laudemio Frescobaldi olive oil
Many wineries in Mediterranean climates are also in the olive oil business, and Laudemio Frescobaldi is a rich, elegant offering from an important Tuscan winery.
Tuscan chef Alessandro Zanieri looks for an olive oil for salads that has both vegetal and herbal notes, but doesn’t overpower the salad’s components. “My favorites are high-quality EVOOs from central Tuscany, like Laudemio Frescobaldi’s, because they have the fresh aroma of green olives and a remarkably balanced flavor of green vegetables, such as artichoke,” he says. “It also has a pleasant bitterness and spiciness that pairs well with both condiments and preparations such as a nice panzanella with lots of basil, or a pinzimonio — [Italian crudité] — of raw, seasonal vegetables.”
A go-to vinaigrette for Zanieri: “White wine vinegar, a pinch of salt, black pepper, and, if desired, some fresh thyme or mint,” he says. “Mix everything well, adding an ice cube, [which aids in emulsification] then add three parts of Laudemio Frescobaldi’s extra virgin olive oil to every one part of vinegar and mix again.” Read more about Laudemio Frescobaldi olive oil.
Corto Truly olive oil
Corto is a family-owned, California olive oil brand with roots in Lucca, Italy. Custom harvesting techniques allow for precise ripeness selection for the olives that produce their chef-driven, certified organic olive oils.
Chef Gino Pinedo of Los Angeles’ Dialog Cafe chooses Corto Truly because, “a quote from an olive oil master miller that has stuck with me is ‘high quality olive oil should taste like the fruit it came from,’” he says. “Corto Truly 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil is my go-to for salads and dressings because of its exceptional flavor, which is bright, peppery, and fresh.” He employs it in a vinaigrette for salads, but that can also be put to use on grilled meats or roasted vegetables.
Chef Pinedo’s Broken Honey Vinegar Vinaigrette recipe
Vinaigrette
3 ½ Tablespoons hydromel vinegar or honey vinegar
1/2 Cup Corto Truly 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon shallots, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon umeboshi salt or kosher salt
Whisk together ingredients in a bowl. Taste for seasoning before tossing with salad.