Caesar Salad Dressing (AIP)

The fish sauce is the anchovy. A Caesar has always been built on anchovy, and traditional fish sauce is anchovies packed in salt and left to ferment for months, so nothing here has been substituted for anything. Buy the sugar-free kind and read the label for it, because sugar turns up in more brands than you would expect.

Anchovies are small, short-lived fish near the bottom of the food chain, which is why they hold far less accumulated mercury than the large predators do and why the FDA lists them among its Best Choices. They are also a source of omega-3 fats, which are involved in how the body regulates its inflammatory response. Every spoonful of that bottle came from fish that lived short lives and were kept whole in salt. It is an odd thing to feel grateful for, and it is worth feeling anyway.

5 ingredients, 1 jar, 20 seconds of shaking. A Caesar was probably on your table before any of this started, and getting it back exactly rather than approximately is a different feeling from accepting a substitute. The garlic keeps deepening as it sits, so a jar made on Sunday is a different dressing by Wednesday.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (sugar-free)
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/8 tsp salt

Method

Combine all five ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Seal and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds until the mixture is smooth and the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Taste and adjust: if you want more tang, add a small splash of apple cider vinegar. If the fish sauce flavor is forward, another tablespoon of coconut milk will round it back. The garlic will deepen in flavor as it sits.

Use it right away or store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Shake again before each use, since the ingredients will naturally separate.

Spoon generously over romaine lettuce, shaved cabbage, or any hearty green that can hold up to a creamy dressing.

*Adapted from Lichen Paleo Loving AIP*