Caesar Salad
An emulsified anchovy and egg dressing, croutons fried in the pan rather than baked, and cold crisp leaves.
- Prep
- 20m
- Cook
- 8m
- Total
- 28m
- Serves
- 4
- Effort
- Moderate
Scale
Units
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 6 | Mash to a paste 4m | Whisk the oil in slowly until thick 5m Drop by drop at first. Add it fast and the emulsion never forms. | Toss the leaves in the dressing, then add the croutons 3m Croutons last, or they soften before they reach the table. | |
| 1 clove | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||
| 2 tbsp | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||
| 3/4 cup | ||||
| 200 g | Fry in olive oil until golden and crunchy 8m Fried, not baked. Baked croutons are dry all the way through. | |||
| 3 tbsp | ||||
| 2 heads | ||||
| 60 g | ||||
| to taste | ||||
-
Mash to a paste
4m- anchovy fillets 6
- garlic 1 clove
- egg yolks 2
- Dijon mustard 1 tsp
- lemon juice 2 tbsp
- Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp
-
Whisk the oil in slowly until thick
5m- from 1 Mash to a paste
- neutral oil 3/4 cup
Drop by drop at first. Add it fast and the emulsion never forms.
-
Fry in olive oil until golden and crunchy
8m- stale sourdough 200 g
- olive oil 3 tbsp
Fried, not baked. Baked croutons are dry all the way through.
-
Toss the leaves in the dressing, then add the croutons
3m- from 2 Whisk the oil in slowly until thick
- from 3 Fry in olive oil until golden and crunchy
- romaine lettuce 2 heads
- Parmigiano Reggiano 60 g
- black pepper to taste
Croutons last, or they soften before they reach the table.
Emulsion, not vinaigrette
This is a mayonnaise with anchovy in it. Egg yolk contains lecithin, a far stronger emulsifier than the mustard in a vinaigrette, which is why the dressing is thick enough to cling to a leaf. The rule is the same: oil slowly, whisking constantly, or it breaks.
Notes
- Raw yolks. If that is a concern, use pasteurised eggs — the texture is identical.
- Dry the leaves obsessively. Water on a leaf repels an oil-based dressing and pools in the bottom of the bowl.
- Torn bread, not cubed. Irregular edges catch more dressing and fry crisper.