Thousand Island Dressing

Thousand Island dressing, a pink colored thick sauce is a worldwide popular salad dressing or sandwich spread generally containing mayonnaise, tomato sauce, sour cream, chopped onions, black olives, garlic and pickles.

 

 

History of the Salad Dressing Recipe

The original Thousand Island dressing and its recipe is attributed to the wife of George LaLonde, Jr who was a popular fishing guide in the resort village of Clayton; N.Y. George was one day escorting Miss Irwin a popular stage actress and cook on an excursion in the village. She was very impressed by the dressing that was used on the salad that she was served by George’s wife Sophia. The recipe was shared by Sophia with Miss Irwing and it was then passed on to Ella Bertrand who owned the Herald Hotel in Clayton. Slowly the recipe and the sauce became very popular but the original name ‘Thousand Island’ was given by Miss Irving and Miss Bertrand together. When Miss Irwing came to New York, she also shared the recipe with George C. Boldt who owned the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. The dressing was added to the menu and slowly became very popular.

 

 

Culinary Uses of Thousand Island

Thousand Island salad dressing is a mix of sweet, sour and tangy tastes. The dressing is now commonly used in salads, as a sandwich spread and even as a dip. Fast food restaurants like In-N-Out now serve sachets of the dressing for customers to spread on to their burgers. 

 

 

Popular Thousand Island Dressing Recipe Versions

The original version of the Thousand Island dressing recipe is still served at Clayton Village but cooks all over the world have adapted the recipe to suit individual tastes. For example, the most popular variations include the following-

  • Sweet gherkin, sweet chili powder and sugar or sweet pickle relish are added to make the dip sweeter.
  • Catsup can be substituted for the chili sauce. This creates a more pronounced flavor and a fiery aftertaste
  • The original Thousand Island dressing may be combined with cream cheese, Swiss cheese, corned beef and sauerkraut to make a dip called as the Reuben dip.

 

 

Nutritive Value Related to Thousand Island Salad Dressing Recipe

Traditionally, a single serving of full fat Thousand Island dressing recipe will contain about 59 calories.  The total fat content is about 5.6 g, the cholesterol is about 4 mg, the sodium levels are at about 138 mg, and the total carbohydrates are at about 2.3 g. Commercial varieties of Thousand Island Salad dressing will contain variable amounts of calories but fat free versions, sugar free versions and low fat versions are aplenty

 

 

Thousand Island Salad Dressing Buying/Storing Tips

Almost all commercial versions of the Thousand Island dressing will require refrigeration after opening.

 

 

Thousand Island: Trivia

The original recipe as shared by Ella Bertrand and prepared at the Herald Hotel is still made at Clayton Village at the Thousand Island Inn. The Inn produces limited quantities of the recipe for commercial sale that are sold only at the Inn for visitors.