Catalina Salad Dressing (from scratch)

 

We are coming into much warmer weather now and salad season is almost upon us. Of course, I am the kind of person who can quite happily enjoy a salad any time of the year.  I do enjoy them even more so during the late spring and summer, however.

I have always been the kind of person who likes to make my own salad dressings from scratch. I get that from my mother.  When we were growing up there was no such thing as a storebought salad dressing in our home.  With the exception of Miracle Whip, which my mother always had on hand, mom always made her own salad dressing from scratch.

 

It was a simple oil and vinaigrette dressing.  Nothing too overly fancy.  I do love a simple oil and vinaigrette dressing, or French dressing as it is called, but I also like to splash out and make other kinds as well.

This recipe I am sharing with you today is for Catalina Dressing.  This is a punchy, sweet and tangy, tomato-based dressing that is a must on Taco salads and the like.  Simple and flavor-filled, it is a real favorite of mine!

There is nothing so enjoyable as a salad made with fresh ingredients and then dressed with a lovely homemade salad dressing.  Once you start making your own dressings from scratch you will not settle for premade dressings again. They are a bazillion times tastier!!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CATALINA SALAD DRESSING FROM SCRATCH

Simple store cupboard ingredients. I am betting you have everything you need in your house to make this delicious dressing right now!

• 1/4 cup (61g) tomato ketchup
• 1/4 cup (60ml) red wine vinegar
• 2 TBS honey
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 fluid ounces (95g) vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

 

You can use any brand of tomato ketchup which you prefer. Today I used Heinz because that is what I happened to have opened in my refrigerator. 

Today I was out of red wine vinegar and so I used sherry vinegar. This worked well.

Use any kind of honey you enjoy with the exception of creamed honey. It is too thick and will not give your dressing the right consistency.

My onion was not much larger than a golf-ball. You won't want any more than 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion.

Don't be tempted to use EVOO. It will make your dressing too thick and solidify in the refrigerator.  You can use any other kind of vegetable oil that you like. I wouldn't use coconut oil either for the same reasons that I wouldn't use olive oil.

 

HOW TO MAKE CATALINA DRESSING FROM SCRATCH

You do need a blender or food processor to make this. You can also use a smoothie maker. (That's what I used.)  This is wonderfully easy to make!

Peel your onion. Cut it into small dice. Place it into a blender or a food processor.

Add the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Transfer to a covered container (I use a mason jar) and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 10 days refrigerated.

 

 

HANDY TIP

Do not over-blend the dressing. Blend it only until smooth.  Over-blending the dressing can cause it to split and separate.

 

HOW TO STORE CATALINA SALAD DRESSING

Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this delicious dressing will stay fresh for up to ten days, or even a bit longer.  Because there is raw onion in it, it will not keep indefinitely.

I just us a screw-top mason jar to store mine. Do use clean utensils to spoon the dressing from out of the jar so as not to introduce bacteria into the dressing. I know I shouldn't really need to say that, but you just never know who might need to hear that information!

 

This is really a delicious dressing. It goes well on many kinds of salads and is great with chicken, pork or fish as well.  I love it on taco salads

Today I enjoyed it on a lovely tossed salad with carrots, celery, cucumber, red onions, tomatoes and peppers.  I added some cheesy garlic croutons and some crispy salad onions for added interest. How will you enjoy yours??

 

Are you a person that also likes to make their own salad dressings?  And why not!  They taste better than anything premade and are not loaded with ingredients that you cannot pronounce!  Here are a few more recipes for delicious salad dressings that you might also enjoy!

 

OLIVE GARDEN SALAD DRESSING -  Never having been to an Olive Garden, I cannot say that this tastes like their dressing as I don't know. What I can tell you for sure however is that this is one very delicious salad dressing! Tangy, rich and cheesy!

HOMEMADE SALAD CREAM - This is delicious.  Perfect for drizzling over salads or using in potato and pasta salads, sandwiches, etc.  It is a bit tarter than mayonnaise.  When I moved over to the U.K in the year 2000 this was pretty much the only salad dressing that was on offer in most places.

 

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Catalina Salad Dressing (small batch)

Cook time: 5 MinTotal time: 5 Min

Super easy to make and super delicious. You will never buy the bottled version again. I promise you.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (61g) tomato ketchup
• 1/4 cup (60ml) red wine vinegar
• 2 TBS honey
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 fluid ounces (95g) vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Peel your onion. Cut it into small dice. Place it into a blender or a food processor.
2. Add the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.
3. Transfer to a covered container (I use a mason jar) and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 10 days refrigerated.

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