Mexican-American · Salad · Medium
Caesar Salad
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Caesar Salad, in 5 ideas
- Anchovies disappear. They dissolve into deep savoriness. Nobody will taste fish, everyone will ask what makes it so good.
- Dress to coat, not drown. Start with half the dressing, toss, add more only if the leaves look dry.
- Day-old bread makes better croutons. Fresh bread steams instead of crisping. Stale bread drinks the oil and turns golden.
- Grate the parmesan fine. It melts into the dressing instead of sitting in clumps.
- Chill the leaves. Cold crisp romaine against the rich dressing is the whole contrast. Warm lettuce wilts on contact.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 romaine hearts, chopped
- 1 cup cubed day-old bread
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus 1/3 cup for the dressing
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan, plus more to serve
How to make it
Directions
- Heat the oven to 375F. Toss the bread cubes with 3 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake 10 minutes, until golden and crisp.
- On a cutting board, mash the anchovies and garlic with a pinch of salt into a smooth paste. Scrape into a bowl.
- Whisk in the egg yolk, lemon juice, and mustard until combined.
- Drizzle in the 1/3 cup olive oil very slowly, whisking constantly, until the dressing thickens into a loose emulsion.
- Fold in the parmesan. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper.
- Toss the romaine with just enough dressing to coat. Add the croutons.
- Serve with extra parmesan shaved over the top.
Room temperature egg emulsifies better. A cold yolk fights the oil and the dressing splits. Ten minutes on the counter first.