Other Austin Salad Dressings
From Caesar to miso to basil to spicy peanut …
By Claudia Alarcón, Fri., June 11, 2004
Martin Brothers
The "brother" line of dressings to the Sisters' SASS, Martin Brothers' products are also delicious. My all-time favorite is the Calamata Feta, but the Bleu Cheese and Pecan Smoked Sun Dried Tomato Ranch come in a close second. Also available are Creamy Miso, Thai Peanut, Olive Dijon, Roasted Garlic Ranch, Tamari Vinaigrette, Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Classic Caesar.
Eastside Cafe
The salad dressings at Eastside Cafe have been among Austin's favorites for many years. They have been bottling three of their most popular flavors for about 13 years now: Dijon Vinaigrette, Raspberry Vinaigrette, and everyone's favorite, Creamy Feta. They are available in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods, Central Market, Wheatsville, and some HEBs and Randalls.
Oka's Miso Dressing
This is a deliciously creamy dressing, with a slightly sweet mayonnaise taste and lots of earthy miso flavor. I like it on fresh vegetable salads and as a veggie dip, but it is also an excellent substitute for mayonnaise in recipes. I have used it on shrimp and chicken salads with very tasty results. It is available at Whole Foods, Central Market, Sun Harvest, Randalls, and HEB at Hancock Center.
Satay Salad Dressings
All of Satay's salad dressings are zesty, flavorful, and healthy, and they have a wide variety of uses. My favorite is the Herb & Spice dressing, which is tangy and spicy – also great as a marinade. But the most popular is the famous Spicy Peanut dressing, great tossed with noodles or as a dip. Also available are Hot Mustard, Sesame Soy, and Honey Garlic.
Mr. Tieu's InspirAsian Sauce
While not strictly a salad dressing, I just love this locally made version of nuoc mam, the traditional fish-sauce-based Vietnamese multipurpose table condiment. It makes a zesty dressing for any kind of salad and is great on grilled or sautéed fish and shrimp. I like it over cold rice noodles topped with shrimp, shredded cucumbers, fresh cilantro, and mint for a quick summer dinner.
Fischer & Weiser
They're in Fredericksburg, but that's close enough, and the dressings are wonderful. Last year they came up with a vinaigrette version of their most popular flavor combination, Roasted Raspberry Chipotle. Like their famous sauce, it is sweet, smoky, and spicy. They also make two dressings in their new Texas on the Plate line, a tangy Garlic & Basil and the robust Ridin' High Rosemary, which is great on hot or cold potatoes as a marinade or as a finish sauce for meats.
TexaFrance
TexaFrance makes a variety of vinaigrette dressings, including a line of fat-free options. These zesty vinaigrettes are extremely versatile and lend themselves to many different uses besides dressing your salads, from marinades to dips. Their Classic French is an Austin favorite, but their Raspberry and Basil Lime vinaigrettes are also delicious. Fat-free flavors include Apple-Ginger, Basil-Lime, Balsamic, Oriental, and Honey-Dijon.
