Recipe: Classic Caesar Salad & Dressing
I’ve spent most of my life judging people who order Caesar salads. Why would you opt for a salad that barely has any toppings on it? Romaine lettuce and croutons does not a meal make, friends.
Then I met Margaret.
Ingredients: Romaine lettuce, juice from a lemon, dijon mustard, minced garlic, one egg yolk, day-old bread and butter for croutons, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, extra virgin olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and anchovy paste.
Or, as I call her, Maggie (also Mags, Magnes, Maggles, Marge, Magglestiltskin, Margetasticness, Margarine, etc.). We met in college, bonded over both being unbearably bubbly, and have been BFFs ever since. When she first moved into her apartment in LA, she invited me over for one of her signature dishes: The Maggie Caesar Salad with Crab Cakes (paired with a glass or three of rosA�).
I thought it was a bizarre selection for a signature dish. I understood the crab cakes, since that actually takes effort, but a salad without cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and all the other goodies that give it identity? Why even bother? When I took my first bite, it hit me. The dressing is the identity. The lettuce and croutons are just a delivery mechanism for this incredible, rich dressing.
In fact, it’s mind-boggling how the ingredients in a classic Caesar dressing come together to make something so palatable. Every dang ingredient is off-the-charts pungent! Don’t believe me? Take a closer look:
Aged cheese.
Anchovy paste.
Raw egg.
The Frenchest of mustards.
Garlic (especially in Maggie-approved quantities… lord).
Fermented tamarind vinegar (aka Worcestershire sauce).
Like, ew, right?
Wrong. These funktastic ingredients were made for each other and I can’t thank the heavens enough for bringing Maggie into my life to show me the error of my ways. In fact, I think it’s the funkiness of food that’s brought us so close to one another. Every time we spend an evening together, it’s either over sausage & beer, Caesar salads, overflowing cheese plates, or extra-garlicky hummus. Breathy friends forever!
This is Maggie crashing* my honeymoon in Paris. Husband not pictured/necessary. And by a�?crashing,” of course I mean welcome with open arms. We meticulously coordinated our vacation plans to line up so we could spend a day galavanting through the City of Light together!
The thing about girlfriends is that there’s no rhyme or reason to bonding activities you gravitate towards. There’s a simple beauty in being able to be weird, funky, and bubbly with one another; critics (and boys) be damned.
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. anchovy paste
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Yolk from 1 organic, cage-free egg
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- Salt & pepper
- Day-old bread, cut or ripped into bite-sizes pieces
- 1 tbsp. salted butter
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Romaine lettuce!
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together mustard, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy paste, lemon juice, garlic, and salt & pepper.
- Carefully add egg yolk, and whisk while adding olive oil.
- Fold in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- If desired, add more of any other ingredient to taste.
- Melt butter in a tri-ply stainless steel skillet (not non-stick)
- Add bread pieces and allow butter to coat all sides
- Add olive oil and keep croutons moving in pan to avoid burning
- Remove from pan immediately after bread has browned
- Toss romaine lettuce in Caesar dressing
- Top with croutons
- Top with extra Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- If desired, add other toppings (pine nuts, tomatoes, anchovy filets, etc.)
- Add chicken, crab cakes, or shrimp to make it a meal!
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