This is the best Caesar salad I know how to make. Homemade dressing. Homemade croutons. Fresh grated parmesan. Delicious.
It pulls out all the stops. It’s serious business. Scratch cooking. This is not your run-of-the-mill toss it on the table Caesar salad.
It’s an undertaking. Be sure of that. A commitment. Old school. But the results speak for themselves.
I love a gutsy salad. Lots of big flavours. Assertive dressing. The croutons are crazy good. Think tossed in butter and roasted garlic. And fresh high quality parmigiano reggiano. This is not the salad you get chain restaurants.
Why restaurant Caesar salad dressing tastes better
Egg yolk. And anchovies. That’s why. Sorry. That’s how they do it.
This dressing is old school. Thin. More oily than creamy. Lemony. Not the mayonnaise based supermarket style. Like what you get at a decent Italian restaurant.
There’s anchovy paste in this dressing. It’s not the tastiest stuff straight from the tube. But a Caesar salad is just not right without anchovy.
That’s my opinion anyway. You can leave it out. It can be a great salad. But it won’t have the magic. If you make Caesar salad dressing and it doesn’t quite taste right I bet that’s why.
caesar salad with roasted garlic croutons
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 coddled egg yolk - see instructions
- 1 tsp anchovy paste
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic crushed or very finely minced
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- a couple dashes Worcestershire sauce
- a couple drops of tabasco
- 2 Tbsp parmigiano reggiano grated on a microplane grater
- a few grinds of fresh black pepper
Croutons
- 2 cups day old sourdough bread cut in 1/2-3/4 inch cubes
- 6-7 cloves roasted garlic - see notes
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
- salt a sprinkle over the croutons
Salad
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce outer leaves discarded
- parmigiano reggiano grated - to taste
Instructions
Dressing
- Coddle the egg. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the egg in its shell for exactly one minute. Separate the yolk, discarding the white.
- Combine the coddled egg yolk, mustard, anchovy paste, garlic, red wine vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl.
- Slowly drizzle the oil into the bowl, stirring or whisking constantly. You are making an emulsion. You want the oil and egg mixture to combine.
- After adding all the olive and vegetable oil, mix in the worcestershire, tabasco, parmegiano and black pepper. Taste. You may want a pinch more salt. The cheese and anchovy paste are salty. Be careful not to over salt.
Croutons
- Pre-heat your oven to 350F. In a small bowl, work the butter and roasted garlic together.
- Melt the butter, garlic mixture in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the thyme and then the bread cubes.
- Toss the bread cubes in the melted butter and continue to cook until the bread starts to brown slightly. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.
- Transfer to an over proof cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to over-brown. Sprinkle with a bit of parmigiano if desired.
Salad
- Toss the salad in enough dressing to coat. You will have extra dressing left over.
- Mix in 2/3 of the croutons and divide the salad on 4 plates. Distribute the remaining croutons.
- Sprinkle with grated parmegiano reggiano to taste and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
East. Fast. Delicious. Perfect for weeknight meals. Spaghetti with sun-dried tomatoes and pecorino romano can be ready in less than 30 minutes. Or serve a smaller portion to start at a dinner party. Like they do in Italy. Primi and secondi. It’s a nice way to eat.
This is a riff on aglio e olio – the Neapolitan classic pasta with garlic and olive oil. It’s lighter on the garlic, adds a bright note with the sun-dried tomatoes and swaps out the cheese for pecorino romano. Basil replaces parsley to complement the tomatoes. But it’s just as simple. Just as pure. Just as good.
