Article: La Saum Vinaigrette: Olive Brine in the Kitchen
La Saum Vinaigrette: Olive Brine in the Kitchen
The bottle of La Saum on your bar is also an ingredient. Its cocktail-grade olive brine, balanced from single-origin Spanish olives, brings the same clean salinity to a salad dressing that it brings to a dirty martini. The result is a vinaigrette with a depth that ordinary salted dressings do not have.
This is a recipe for people who treat cooking with the same intention they bring to a well-made drink.
La Saum Vinaigrette Recipe
INGREDIENTS
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2 tablespoons La Saum olive brine
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3 tablespoons good quality olive oil
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1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
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1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
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1 small shallot, finely minced
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Fresh cracked black pepper
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Optional: 1 teaspoon honey to balance
INSTRUCTIONS
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Combine La Saum olive brine, vinegar, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl.
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Whisk together until combined.
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Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking to emulsify.
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Add minced shallot and black pepper.
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Taste and adjust. Add honey if a touch of balance is needed.
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Use immediately or store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Notes: The brine is already salty. Do not add additional salt before tasting. Shake the jar before each use if storing.
The Case for Brine as a Kitchen Ingredient
Salt in a vinaigrette flattens. Olive brine adds dimension. There is acidity in the brine, a faint minerality, and the distinct quality that comes from Spanish olives. It does more than season. It contributes.
This dressing works on any green salad, but it is particularly good on bitter greens like endive or radicchio, where its sharpness cuts through and complements rather than overwhelms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use olive brine in salad dressing?
Yes. Olive brine works well in vinaigrette as a replacement for some or all of the salt. It adds salinity along with a faint savory, briny quality that makes the dressing more complex.
How much olive brine should I use in a vinaigrette?
Start with 2 tablespoons in place of the salt you would normally add. Taste before adding more. The brine is assertive, especially a cocktail-grade brine like La Saum.
What salads pair best with an olive brine vinaigrette?
Bitter greens like radicchio, endive, and arugula are ideal. The brine's sharpness complements their natural bitterness. It also works on a simple green salad, a grain bowl, or roasted vegetables.
One bottle. At the bar and in the kitchen. Shop La Saum
