Caesar Salad is a classic dish that is easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg
- add all ingredients to list
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tablespoon ground mustard
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups garlic croutons
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 (2 ounce) can anchovy filets
- Carbohydrate 82.3013696592019 g
- Cholesterol 16.8800000140161 mg
- Fat 98.6922942375289 g
- Fiber 17.9378952319526 g
- Protein 22.4823937568847 g
- Saturated Fat 17.5308861785013 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (895g)
- Sodium 1341.51003110964 mg
- Sugar 64.3634744272493 g
- Trans Fat 3.90950116878228 g
- Calories 1274 calories
Step-by-step
- Clean lettuce thoroughly and wrap in paper towels to absorb moisture. Refrigerate until crisp, at least 1 hour or more.
- In a bowl or jar combine oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, mustard, garlic and lemon juice. Whisk until well blended.
- Coddle egg by heating 3 cups of water to boiling. Drop in egg (still in shell) and let stand for 1 minute. Remove egg from water and let cool. Once cooled crack open and whisk egg into dressing. Whisk until thoroughly blended.
- Mash desired amount of anchovies and whisk them into the dressing. If desired set aside a few for garnish.
- To assemble, place torn lettuce leaves in a large bowl. Pour dressing over the top and toss lightly. Add the grated cheese, garlic croutons and freshly ground pepper, toss. Serve immediately!
Replacing extra virgin olive oil with a neutral canola oil fundamentally changes this dressing by muting the characteristic pepperiness and allowing the pungent garlic and salted fish to dominate the palate. Originating in Tijuana, Mexico during the 1920s, the original iteration relied on whole romaine leaves meant to be eaten with the fingers rather than chopped into bite-sized pieces. Understanding this lineage clarifies why robust structural integrity in the greens remains paramount.
Dryness dictates proper dressing adhesion. Submerging cleaned romaine in paper towels and chilling it for at least one hour removes excess surface water that would otherwise repel oil-based liquids. If moisture remains on the leaves, the dressing slides off and pools at the bottom of the bowl instead of coating every single surface evenly.
Creating a stable emulsion requires precise mechanical agitation and temperature control. Coddling the egg in boiling water for exactly one minute gently thickens the albumin without fully coagulating the yolk, providing lecithin to bind the oil and red wine vinegar together. Whisking vigorously while streaming the fat droplets into the acid breaks the oil into microscopic suspensions that resist separation.
Mashing cured anchovy fillets directly into the base introduces glutamates that interact chemically with the parmesan cheese to generate deep umami notes. Adding the garlic croutons immediately before service preserves their structural crunch against the moisture of the dressing, completing the textural contrast essential to the dish.
