Ranch dressing is a vibe, a cult leader, a savior of salads and steamed vegetables everywhere. This version—rife with sesame seeds and the salty depth of toasted seaweed snacks—is full of nutty, savory flavor, while still remaining familiar enough to appease ranch purists. Taking the sesame to a deep brown (near burnt) color, then crushing them releases their sharp, oily intensity, so don’t skip the toasting even if your bag of seeds claims to be pre-roasted. Serve with salad, roasted potatoes (sweet or regular), baked or fried chicken wings and tenders, crispy fresh vegetables, or a poke bowl. It’s ranch. What won’t it work with?
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What you’ll need
Mortar and Pestle
$24 At Amazon
Small Skillet
$23 At Amazon
Kunz Spoon
$19 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Dressing
2
½
½
¼
1
1
1
1
1
Salad and assembly
1
2
1
Special equipment
Preparation
Dressing
Step 1
Toast 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until evenly dark brown, 6–9 minutes.
Step 2
Coarsely crush sesame seeds with mortar and pestle or very coarsely grind in spice mill; transfer to a medium bowl. Add ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, ¼ cup finely chopped chives, zest of 1 large lemon, 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, and 3 Tbsp. water to bowl; whisk to combine. Finely crumble one .35-oz. package seasoned toasted seaweed snacks over and whisk again to combine. Dressing should be thick but pourable; thin with more water (up to 1 Tbsp.) if needed (makes about 1¼ cups).
Do ahead: Dressing can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Salad and assembly
Step 3
Trim root end of 1 small head of iceberg lettuce (about 1 lb.) and discard any wilted outer leaves. Cut into quarters lengthwise, then cut each quarter crosswise into 3" pieces. Transfer to a platter. Tuck 2 avocados, cut into 1" pieces, around lettuce and drizzle 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice over; season with kosher salt.
Step 4
Spoon half of dressing over salad. Season with freshly ground pepper and top with thinly sliced seasoned toasted seaweed snacks. Serve with remaining dressing alongside.
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Reviews (2)
Back to TopThis came out really thick. We enjoyed the toasted sesame, but it fell flat in overall taste. My roommate wants to experiment some more because she feels there is a good start here.
Eric
Anaheim, CA
1/17/2023
After reading the first review, I halved the mayo and yogurt while keep the rest of the ingredients the same, adding closer to 2 tablespoons lemon juice. I slowly added water until it was pourable. We really liked it and it was a nice change from our usual dressings.
EK
CT
1/25/2023
I really really wanted to love this and was so excited to make it. Love ranch, love sesame seeds, love seaweed. Like another commenter noted, it was super thick and gloppy. Watered it down quite a bit but then it wasn't as flavorful. And I was mostly tasting the mayo anyway. If I tried it again, I'd do as the other person suggested and up the lemon juice and cut back on yogurt and mayonnaise. I want this to work!
Anonymous
1/27/2023
Watery, globby, mayo-y gave me weird feelings about salad
Yumyumautumn
Brooklyn
2/7/2023
I just keep making this again and again
A cook from Buffalo
Buffalo, NY
9/24/2023