Alternative Oils

By Food & Wine
Updated May 09, 2017
Credit: © Michael Turek
From spiked mayonnaise with chile sauce to walnut oil sautéed mushrooms, here are alternative oils to use in dressings and marinades.
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Green Salad with Nutty Vinaigrette

Credit: © John Kernick
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This simple salad has a nicely nutty dressing made with both walnut and hazelnut oils. It's garnished with pleasantly spicy yellow tatsoi blossoms, when David Kinch has them in his garden.

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2 of 10

Spicy Asian-Chicken-Salad Lettuce Cups

Credit: © Petrina Tinslay
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Melissa Rubel Jacobson uses a store-bought rotisserie bird in her reinvented chicken salad. She spikes the mayonnaise with chile sauce and toasted sesame oil and adds water chestnuts for crunch.

3 of 10

Citrus-Marinated Scallops and Roasted Red Pepper

Credit: © John Kernick
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The citrus marinade for these scallops also includes almond oil.

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4 of 10

Apricot-Stuffed Pork Shoulder with Soy-Honey Glaze

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Pork shoulder is a succulent cut that's best braised or roasted slowly, so it stays tender and juicy. The sweet-and-savory glazed pork here is terrific with or without the garlic-and-dried-apricot stuffing. The glaze includes soy sauce, honey and sesame oil.

5 of 10

Quinoa, Artichoke and Hearts of Palm Salad

Credit: © Frances Janisch
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Few crops grow at Andean altitudes of 10,000 feet. One that does is quinoa, a nutty, high-protein grain that was both a pre-Incan and Incan staple. Emmanuel Piqueras mixes this grain with artichokes, an ingredient brought to Peru by the Spanish, to create this crunchy salad tossed with a tart dressing of wine vinegar and avocado oil.

6 of 10

Warm Camembert with Wild Mushroom Fricassee

Credit: © Frances Janisch
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Daniel Boulud makes this oozy appetizer with Vacherin Mont-d'Or, a creamy cheese sold at top cheese shops. Camembert is as rich and runny as Vacherin Mont-d'Or, but much easier to find. He tops the cheese with mushrooms sautéed in walnut oil.

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Roasted Mushrooms and Shallots with Fresh Herbs

Credit: © Stephanie Foley
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For this earthy spring side dish, Su-Mei Yu tosses warm roasted mushrooms and whole shallots with a refreshing combination of dill, mint and parsley. The mushrooms are thought to ease flu symptoms, while the shallots and herbs help with congestion and coughs. The mushrooms and shallots are tossed in sesame oil before roasting.

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Crunchy Almond-Crusted Duck Breasts with Chanterelle Salad

Credit: © Quentin Bacon
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Duck is often paired with something sweet, as in canard à l'orange. Jean-Georges Vongerichten tops it here with chopped sugar-coated almonds. The sugar burns slightly as the meat is broiled to form a bittersweet crust that pairs beautifully with the juicy richness of the duck. He serves it with a chanterelle salad dressed with a nutty vinaigrette.

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Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Credit: © Lucy Schaeffer
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This unbelievably simple side dish counters the slight bitterness of brussels sprouts with a sweet maple-syrup pan sauce made with walnut oil.

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Austrian Cheese Spread with Pumpkin Seed Oil

Credit: © Michael Turek
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Pumpkin seed oil from southern Austria gives this spread its nutty flavor.

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