My Take on The Classic Caesar Salad
We all have those recipes that we could never remove from our recipe database. One of my all time favorites is my take on the classic Caesar salad. While caesar salad can typically be found at a restaurant or from the grocery store, nothing beats a homemade salad! My secret to a delicious Caesar salad is a well-balanced dressing. I balanced the flavor profiles using traditional ingredients that embody the creamy, garlic-infused Caesar dressing. After trial and error, I finally created the perfect recipe…I hope you love it!
While the combination of raw eggs and anchovies can be a bit unnerving for some, these ingredients are key in the recipe’s flavor success as they add such depth and richness! Nervous about consuming raw eggs? Always use pasteurized eggs and scroll to the “how to coddle eggs” section of this blog for my tips and tricks. Traditionally anchovies are a very important ingredient in this recipe as they provide the perfect balance in this recipe. If you are not a fan, you won’t even know they are there as the amount is so small and the flavor subtle.
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A Delicious Homemade Caesar Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-2 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
- 1 coddled egg, yolk only
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ tsp Maggi seasoning sauce
- ⅛ tsp white vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 head romaine lettuce, washed and seperated into whole leaves
- croutons (recipe below)
- freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Croutons
- 3 cups torn 1-inch (bite-sized) pieces French bread crust
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Caesar Salad
- Place garlic and anchovy filets in the bowl of a food processor; pulse to form a paste. Add egg, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Maggi seasoning, and vinegar; pulse until combined.
- With the food processor on low, pour olive oil in a slow and steady stream until mixture is a smooth and glossy consistency.
- Place lettuce leaves in a large bowl. Add desired amount of dressing and croutons; toss to coat. Top with Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Croutons
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Toss bread with olive oil on a baking sheet; season with salt and pepper.
- Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 10–15 minutes. Cool completely.
Notes
- I prepare this salad dressing in my food processor or Vitamix. The traditional way of preparation is manually in a wooden bowl using a flat wooden spoon and whisk.
- Maggi sauce can typically be found in grocery stores. This seasoning sauce is made from fermented wheat protein and loaded with glutamic acids (not gluten-free), which accounts for the rich, meaty, savory, umami taste the sauce provides. Substitute soy sauce or for a gluten-free option, use tamari.
- Ingredients can be adjusted to taste and preference.
- A whole coddled egg is an uncracked egg, gently cooked in boiling water for a very brief amount of time to reduce or eliminate bacteria. A coddled egg is commonly used for homemade mayo, dressings, and sauce when a raw egg is suggested in the ingredients.
