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Classic Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons
Nestware Kitchen
A great Caesar is all about contrast: cold, crisp leaves, warm crunchy croutons and a dressing with enough garlic and anchovy to make itself known. It's the salad for people who say they don't really like salad.
Two things make or break it. First, bone-dry leaves, or the dressing slides off (see our guide to drying salad). Second, Parmesan grated fresh, so it falls in fluffy flakes rather than dusty crumbs. The fine drum on the rotary grater is perfect for this.
Classic Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons
Serves: 4 servings (or 2 as a main)Prep: 15 minCook: 10 min
Ingredients
For the croutons
- 3 thick slices of sourdough or ciabatta, torn into chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- A pinch of salt
For the dressing
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (or 1 tsp anchovy paste)
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 25g Parmesan, finely grated
- 1 to 2 tbsp water, to loosen
- Black pepper
For the salad
- 2 romaine lettuces (or 3 Little Gems)
- 25g Parmesan, finely grated, to finish
- 2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Toss the bread with the oil, garlic and salt and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and crunchy.
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together, adding water until it's the consistency of double cream. Season with plenty of black pepper.
- Separate the lettuce leaves, wash and spin them really dry. Tear the large ones in half.
- Toss the leaves with most of the dressing in a big bowl (the spinner bowl is ideal) so every leaf is coated.
- Add the croutons and chicken, if using, drizzle with the remaining dressing and finish with a generous blizzard of freshly grated Parmesan.
Can you make Caesar dressing without anchovies?
You can, though you'll lose some depth. Use an extra teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (check the label if you're vegetarian, as most contain anchovy) and a few capers, finely chopped.
Is this dressing safe without raw egg?
Yes. The traditional dressing uses raw egg yolk; we use mayonnaise as the base instead, which gives the same creamy richness and keeps for three days in a sealed jar in the fridge.
Serve it straight from the spinner
The Nestware spinner has a 304 stainless steel bowl, so once the leaves are dry you can lift out the basket, toss the salad in the bowl and take it straight to the table.
Made with: Nestware Stainless Steel Salad Spinner, 5L
Wash, dry and serve from the same steel bowl. The quick-stop brake halts the basket instantly.
