National Dish USA: Green Goddess Dressing (Recipe)
In this article
Green Goddess Dressing is pale green and tastes of fresh garden herbs. Mayonnaise and soured cream form the base, tarragon and parsley bring the colour and a few anchovies add savoury depth. According to the most widely told version, it was invented in a hotel in San Francisco. You can blend it in five minutes.
About Green Goddess Dressing
Green Goddess Dressing is a salad dressing from California. It takes its name from a play of the 1920s, not just from its colour. The base is mayonnaise and soured cream, with generous amounts of fresh herbs. The classic herbs are parsley, tarragon and chives. Anchovy fillets, garlic and a little vinegar or lemon add acidity and depth. You cannot taste the fish; the anchovies simply add seasoning. The dressing is thicker than a vinaigrette and sits somewhere between remoulade and a herby quark dip in flavour. It is poured over leafy salads, over seafood as in the Crab Louie Salad, or served as a dip for raw vegetables.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 60 g mayonnaise
- 60 g soured cream (10 % fat) or extra-thick full-fat soured cream
- 2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
- 1 small garlic clove
- 15 g flat-leaf parsley (a small handful)
- 10 g fresh tarragon (leaves from about 4 sprigs)
- 1 tbsp snipped chives
- 1 spring onion, green part only
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar or tarragon vinegar
- 1–2 tbsp water
- Salt and black pepper
Shopping for the ingredients
Fresh tarragon is the ingredient that matters most. You will find it at the market in summer, and supermarkets sometimes sell it in small punnets or as a potted plant. Choose French tarragon, as the Russian kind tastes flat. Anchovy fillets in oil come in jars or small tins in the tinned fish aisle. One jar is enough for several batches and keeps for a few weeks in the fridge once opened, as long as the fillets stay covered in oil. For the mayonnaise, it is worth choosing one with a high egg yolk content.
Preparing the dish
Wash the herbs and shake them thoroughly dry, as wet leaves water down the dressing. Pick the leaves from the parsley and tarragon; thick stalks stay out. Peel the garlic and drain the anchovies. For a large jar that will see you through a week of salads, double the quantities. The dressing tastes better after an hour in the fridge, so allow for that time.
Step-by-step instructions
- Put the garlic and anchovies in a tall blender beaker and roughly chop them with the lemon juice and vinegar.
- Add the parsley, tarragon, chives and the green part of the spring onion.
- Add the mayonnaise and soured cream and blend everything with a stick blender for 30–40 seconds into a smooth, pale green sauce.
- Stir in 1–2 tbsp water depending on how thick you want it; keep it thicker for a dip and a little runnier for a dressing.
- Season with salt and pepper; because of the anchovies, taste first and then add salt.
- Pour the dressing into a screw-top jar and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Green Goddess Dressing is gluten-free without any changes, as long as the mayonnaise and vinegar contain no wheat-based additives. To make it lactose-free, use lactose-free soured cream or lactose-free yoghurt. You can also leave out the soured cream and use only mayonnaise with a little more water, which makes the dressing stronger and richer.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
For a vegetarian version, leave out the anchovies and blend in 1 tsp white miso paste and 1 tsp capers instead. Together they bring the salty depth the fish would otherwise provide. To make the dressing vegan, use vegan mayonnaise and 60 g unsweetened soya yoghurt. Half a ripe avocado in place of the soured cream makes it very creamy and even greener.
More tips and tricks
Do not blend for too long, or the herbs warm up and the green turns dull. For colour, fresh tarragon helps more than any amount of parsley. The dressing keeps for three to four days in a sealed jar in the fridge. After that it loses its colour and the herbs taste musty. If it has turned out too salty, soften it with a spoonful of soured cream. Do not freeze it, as the mayonnaise will split.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Modern versions in California often rely on avocado, basil and yoghurt and leave out the mayonnaise altogether. If you like it fresher, add a few leaves of mint or dill. With more soured cream and less water it becomes a thick dip for vegetable sticks or chips, or a sauce for grilled fish. It is also good spread on chicken sandwiches.
Ingredient substitutions
Instead of tarragon, chervil works well, as it also has a light aniseed flavour, or try a mix of basil and fennel fronds. Instead of anchovies, use 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, which itself contains anchovies. Soured cream can be replaced with Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche. If you make your own mayonnaise, you need one egg yolk and about 100 ml neutral oil. A simple alternative made with buttermilk is Ranch Dressing.
Drink pairing ideas
A salad with Green Goddess Dressing goes well with a glass of mineral water with lemon and a few slices of cucumber. An elderflower spritzer or an unsweetened green iced tea also suits the herbs nicely. If you prefer something fruity, try a lime and mint lemonade.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve the dressing in a small glass or porcelain bowl next to the salad, so the pale green colour can be seen. A tarragon leaf or a few chive stems on top are all the garnish it needs. For a dip, arrange carrots, cucumber, radishes and peppers cut into strips around the bowl.
A bit of history
According to the most widely told version, Green Goddess Dressing comes from the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The head chef, Philip Roemer, is said to have created it in 1923 in honour of the British actor George Arliss. Arliss was appearing in the city at the time in the lead role of the play The Green Goddess by William Archer. The play was later made into a film as well. The dressing is considered a variation of an older French herb sauce, sauce au vert. Later recipes added Worcestershire sauce, avocado or basil. By the early 1970s the dressing was also sold ready-made in bottles across the USA.
More recipe ideas
Looking for more ideas? Discover more recipes from the USA.
Summary: Green Goddess Dressing
Green Goddess Dressing is a bold herb sauce made with mayonnaise and soured cream. Fresh tarragon, parsley and a few anchovies shape its flavour. It goes with leafy salads, seafood and vegetables and is ready in a few minutes with a stick blender. It tastes best fresh and well chilled.
