Just when you think you have tasted every possible way to dress up plain old romaine (my favorite salad green by-the-way), along comes another salad dressing recipe that is off the charts delicious. I found this recipe by Monica Matheny while I was looking for a dressing recipe that had all the essential elements of Caribbean cuisine, but didn’t contain hard to find or expensive ingredients. I mean really, who needs pineapple juice or mushed mangoes in their dressing anyway? Not me! Give me an easy to prepare dressing and some crisp romaine lettuce and I am one happy rabbit. And since Caribbean food can be a bit spicy, a nice simple salad slathered with this dressing is the perfect side dish.

So the other evening when I made Caribbean Pork Stew (on this site) and served it over rice, this delicious salad was a perfect addition to the meal. As Alfred Hitchcock once said to his wife Alma when she asked him before a party if she looked OK, he answered “very presentable my dear, very presentable”. (Not the answer a woman wants to hear, but if you apply it to a salad to serve with other Caribbean dishes, it’s a perfect response.) This salad is indeed – very presentable.

So as they say in the Caribbean – bon appétit. (You were expecting something else? Nope! Most languages spoken in the Caribbean are either European languages (namely English, Spanish, French and Dutch) or European language-based creoles. English is the first or second language in most Caribbean islands and is also the unofficial “language of tourism”, the dominant industry in the Caribbean region. So of course you are going to hear – bon appétit, even if it’s French. It’s still the universal toast for – have a happy meal!)

• ¼ c. fresh lime juice
• 2 T. honey
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp. granulated garlic
• ¼ tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ c. vegetable oil
• 2 hearts of romaine, chopped

Shake the lime juice, honey, mustard, granulated garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper together in a covered jar. Add the oils and shake until well blended. Store in the refrigerator. When ready to assemble salad, place romaine in a salad bowl and pour on just enough dressing to lightly cover leaves.