By Curtis D. Tucker, Enid Buzz | November 19, 2013
ENID, Okla. - As far as restaurants and recipes go in Enid, Oklahoma, there's none more famous than 3 Towers Restaurant and their epic salad dressing. Just the mention of the business brings a flood of comments about a favorite food, a great memory and that ever popular salad dressing.
Many have tried to copy the recipe and many have failed. Some Enidites claim that the famed dressing is now being served at a few restaurants in town. We cannot confirm nor deny these claims.
The restaurant began in 1947 and served for decades. The original recipe may have been lost or modified over the years but there seems to be a few common ingredients in most of the claimed secret recipes that have been smuggled out over the years.
We do not claim to know the exact original 3 Towers Salad Dressing Recipe but the list below should get you very close to the same flavor that many claim to be the best in the world.
Here are a few of the recipes we've run across from different sources:
3 c. buttermilk
1 c. Wesson oil
2 ½ T. mustard
½ t. garlic powder
1 ½ t. salt
3 T. salad dressing (mayo not Miracle Whip - heaping)
3 green onions, chopped
1 avocado
Place all in blender and blend well. Add avocado seed to dressing to prevent darkening.
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1 egg, beat until frothy
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup salad oil
1 cup buttermilk
Mix the above ingredients in a blender.
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3 cups buttermilk
1 cup Wesson oil
2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup mayonnaise (or enough to thicken)
Mix until oil dissolves. Refrigerate.
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1 egg, beaten two minutes
Add 1 1/3 cups oil
2 tablespoons mustard
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Sprinkle salad with paprika after adding the dressing to the lettuce, etc.
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3 eggs, beat until thick and frothy
Add 2 cups Wesson oil but only mix in 1/4 cup at a time
16 ounces sour cream
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Mix together and beat.
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3 cups buttermilk
1 cup oil
2 tablespoons salad dressing (mayo not Miracle Whip - heaping)
2 tablespoons mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Mix all in blender of mixer. Add paprika if you like.
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1 quart salad dressing (mayo not Miracle Whip - heaping)
1/5 quart buttermilk
1/5 quart salad oil
1/5 cup mustard
1/2 pod garlic
Pinch of salt
Beat all together until smooth.
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1 cup salad oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 raw egg
Mix all ingredients except egg and blend five minutes. Add egg and continue to beat until smooth. Chill before serving.
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Many of these are pretty close to each other so we must assume that the ingredients of the original salad dressing recipe are most likely in this list. Try these and try your own versions. Hopefully you'll come close to something that brings back those great tastes of yesteryear.
Does anyone have Tia Jauna’s Garlic dressing?
I would love to have this also
Are any of the owners still alive, maybe they ‘d share the recipe
I think a few people know the actual recipe.
Judy Mar is still alive but no longer lives in Enid. I won’t disclose her whereabouts for her privacy.
Judy and Bob were good friends of my parents. She gave them the recipe which I now have but sorry, I will not share because I was told by a member of the family to not give it out.
My grandmother worked there an made this dressing a lot because it was her recipe. Dolly Smith made that an there dinner rolls almost everyday for almost 30 years. An yes my mother still makes it for us. There are a few around town that are close but not the real deal.
Was your moms name Carol? I worked at Three Tower from 1974 to 1979 . Busboy, dishwasher, and assistant cook.
Bill fo you have any photos of the old three Towers resuraunt? If so please contact me if am writing a book about the times I was there in 92. I’m Darren at 702-415-6802 or email me at darrenevansparanormal@gmail.com
Thanks
David, since your grandmother made the salad dressing, do you have access to the original recipe? If so, would you please share. I loved Three Towers Salad Dressing. My late mother-in-law used to make it, but I lost the recipe.
I worked with Dolly Smith too. And remember making this dressing. It has been the topic of many fans I laughed when I saw the avacado ingredient.
Well? Do you have the recipe? I know someone who’d like to have it to re-live a cherished childhood memory! 🙂
A couple fun facts about the restaurant. It was once a school. There was a basement that had a cement ramp down to it for storage. On one of the shelves in the dungeon was a 5 gallon glass pickling jar with pickled rattlesnakes in it, medicinal purposes only.
The 3 towers salad dressing I remember was green. I know all the other restaurants are yellow. Do I remember this wrong
I have a version of that recipe that my mother had and I’ve used it for many many years.
Mine does not have raw egg in it. I don’t believe the original did.
And my paprika is always sprinkled on the top of the salad as that is how they always served it and it would turn the whole batch a bit red .
Will always make this dressing, I love it!