The Thousand Islands run up between Ontario and New York, so there are Canadian islands and American islands. The dressing dates back to about 1900 when it’s likely a fishing guide’s wife made it as a condiment.[1] I’ve found that it’s one of the hardest dressings to find without chemicals and added sugar. You don’t need any sugar in the recipe because it comes out very sweet from the pickles. If you didn’t can pepper relish in the fall, you can leave them out or double the amount of chopped pickles if you want the dressing chunky.
Thousand Island Dressing
3/4 C organic or homemade mayonnaise
1/4 C organic or homemade ketchup
1/4 C chopped pickles
1/4 C organic or homemade pepper relish
1 T minced onion
1/2 t rice or cider vinegar
1/2 t crushed garlic
1/4 t paprika
1/4 t sea salt
Mix all of the ingredients together well.
[1] Smith, Andrew F. (2007). The Oxford Companion of Food and Drink, p. 514. Oxford University Press US
