Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Torn Croutons
- 150 g country bread, crusty, torn into 2 to 3 cm pieces
- 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic, peeled and finely grated
- 1 g kosher salt
- ½ g black pepper, freshly cracked
Caesar Dressing
- 20 g anchovy fillets, oil-packed, drained and minced
- 2 garlic, peeled and grated into a fine paste
- 1 egg yolk, large, room temperature
- 10 g dijon mustard
- 5 ml worcestershire sauce
- 25 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 30 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 60 ml neutral vegetable oil
- 15 ml water, cold
- 1 g kosher salt
- 1 g black pepper, coarsely cracked
Salad Greens and Garnish
- 500 g romaine lettuce, washed, thoroughly spun dry, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 25 g parmesan cheese, shaved into thin ribbons
- ½ g black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 477 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbohydrates
- 26 g
- Fat
- 37 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 842 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 6 g
- Potassium
- 440 mg
- Calcium
- 253 mg
- Iron
- 3.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 41 mg
- Phosphorus
- 209 mg
- Zinc
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 591 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 9 mg
- Water
- 152 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Tear the country bread by hand into jagged, bite-sized pieces roughly 2 to 3 cm in size and place them directly onto the prepared baking sheet.
Drizzle 30 ml of extra-virgin olive oil over the torn bread, then scatter 1 grated garlic clove, 1 g kosher salt, and 0.5 g cracked black pepper over the pieces, tossing thoroughly on the baking sheet until evenly coated.
Bake the croutons at 190°C (375°F) on the center oven rack for 12 to 14 minutes, turning them once halfway through, until deeply golden and completely crisp.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the croutons cool completely to room temperature for 15 minutes.
Trim the tough fibrous root ends from the romaine heads using a chef knife on a cutting board, chop the leaves into 3 to 4 cm bite-sized pieces, submerge in cold water to wash, and spin completely dry in a salad spinner.
Place the anchovy fillets on the cutting board and mince finely, then add the 2 grated garlic cloves and mash repeatedly with the flat side of a chef knife until a smooth, uniform paste forms.
Transfer the garlic-anchovy paste into a medium mixing bowl, then add the egg yolk, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice, whisking vigorously for 1 minute until smooth and pale.
Whisking vigorously and continuously, pour the neutral vegetable oil and extra-virgin olive oil into the egg yolk base in a very slow, steady, hairline stream until a thick, glossy, spoonable emulsion forms.
Whisk in 30 g finely grated Parmesan cheese, 1 g kosher salt, and 1 g cracked black pepper, then whisk in 15 ml cold water to relax the dressing into a velvety, pourable coating consistency.
Place the dried romaine lettuce into a large salad bowl, scatter half of the cooled croutons over the greens, and drizzle three-quarters of the prepared dressing over the top.
Gently toss the romaine and croutons using clean hands or salad tongs until every leaf is evenly and thinly glazed with dressing.
Garnish the salad with the remaining croutons, 25 g shaved Parmesan cheese curls created with a vegetable peeler, and 0.5 g cracked black pepper, then serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Blending extra-virgin olive oil with neutral oil prevents the dressing from becoming unpleasantly bitter; high-polyphenol olive oils release harsh bitter compounds when vigorously sheared into an emulsion.
- Tearing country bread by hand creates an open, irregular surface structure with deep nooks and crannies that hold onto dressing far better than smooth, machine-cut bread cubes.
- Romaine dryness is the critical success factor in Caesar salad; any surface water remaining on the leaves will repel the fat-based emulsion and dilute its rich flavor.
- For vulnerable individuals who cannot consume raw egg yolks, use an egg pasteurized in its shell, which preserves identical emulsifying properties while eliminating food safety risks.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store the dressing separately in an airtight glass jar for up to 3 days. Keep washed and dried lettuce leaves in an airtight container lined with dry paper towels for up to 2 days. Store croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Croutons can be recrisped in an oven preheated to 150°C (300°F) for 3 to 5 minutes.
Troubleshooting
The dressing breaks, separates into oil and liquid, or appears curdled.
Cause: The oil was added too quickly at the start of emulsification, or the egg yolk was straight from the refrigerator and too cold.
Fix: Whisk 15 ml of warm water or a fresh room-temperature egg yolk in a clean bowl, then slowly drizzle the broken dressing into it in a thin stream while whisking continuously to restore the emulsion.
Prevention: Allow the egg yolk to reach room temperature before starting, and add the first few tablespoons of oil drop by drop while whisking briskly.
The tossed salad becomes soggy and limp within minutes of serving.
Cause: Romaine lettuce was not dried thoroughly after washing, or the salad was dressed too far in advance.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once tossed; serve immediately or assemble greens and dressing separately.
Prevention: Spin the lettuce repeatedly in a salad spinner until completely bone-dry, and toss the salad immediately before serving.
The dressing tastes harsh, aggressively bitter, or overly heavy.
Cause: Using exclusively robust extra-virgin olive oil, whose bitter polyphenols intensify when rapidly sheared during whisking.
Fix: Whisk in an additional 5 ml of fresh lemon juice and a small pinch of grated Parmesan to balance the bitterness.
Prevention: Blend extra-virgin olive oil with a light neutral oil such as canola, grapeseed, or sunflower oil.
Cultural Context
The Caesar salad was invented in 1924 by Italian-American restaurateur Caesar Cardini at his establishment, Hotel Caesar's, in Tijuana, Mexico. According to culinary lore, Cardini devised the salad tableside during an overwhelming Fourth of July rush when kitchen provisions dwindled, turning humble staples of romaine, garlic, croutons, and coddled egg into an enduring sensation. While Cardini's original recipe relied on Worcestershire sauce rather than whole anchovies for savory depth, anchovy fillets quickly became a hallmark of the classic modern Caesar profile.
