Receta How-to Make Caesar Salad Dressing
Individual serving of Caesar salad
Caesar salad can be ordered at most any restaurant. Fancier eating establishments will make the salad table side, which makes waiting for the rest of your meal to arrive not quite so boring. Authentic Caesar salad dressing should be light in texture, yet rich and tangy in taste, and not a gloppy, mayonnaise clogged mess.
Making homemade breadcrumbs for Caesar salad
To make an authentic Caesar salad, first you will need to make homemade breadcrumbs. While the breadcrumbs are toasting in the oven, begin to make the dressing. Once the breadcrumbs and dressing have been made, you can assemble the salad.
This recipe calls for a raw egg, which has been coddled in hot water. If you have an aversion to using raw eggs, look for pasteurized eggs in the grocery store. Or you can substitute a tablespoon of mayonnaise for the raw egg if absolutely necessary.
Ingredients for making a classic Caesar salad
To make a vegetarian version of the Caesar salad dressing, omit the anchovy fillets. I used to be afraid of anchovies, thinking they were nasty little fishy beasty things, but after making pasta with homemade puttanesca sauce for the first time, I am no longer afraid of this classic, gourmet ingredient.
Anchovy fillets packed in olive oil
Making Breadcrumbs
Use leftover Italian or French bread to make the breadcrumbs. I used leftover sesame coated Italian bread that I had purchased a few days earlier at a local Italian market. The bread was pretty much dried out when I went to make breadcrumbs with the leftovers. Fresher bread will require less oil, and a longer toasting time, while staler bread will require more oil and a shorter cooking time.
Ingredients for the Homemade Breadcrumbs
4 cups cubed, day old/stale Italian or French bread
1/4 to 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic - minced, or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions for the Homemade Breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut the bread into 1 to 2 inch cubes.
Place the cubed bread into a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, oregano and salt.
Toss the bread cubes with the olive oil mixture, until all the bread is well coated.
Place the seasoned bread cubes onto a baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown, and crisp.
Remove to a wire rack to cool until ready to use in the Caesar salad.
Caesar Salad Ingredients
- 3-4 teaspoons minced garlic or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 4 anchovy fillets - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon capers - drained
- 1 teaspoon grainy, Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg - room temperature
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- 2-3 heads Romaine lettuce - chopped
- Caesar Salad Dressing Directions
Place the garlic and anchovies into a mortar, and grind into a fine paste with a pestle.
Add the capers, and mustard and continue grinding until a smooth paste is formed.
Use a spatula to scrape the paste out of the mortar, and place it in a mixing bowl.
Whisk in the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.
Place the egg in a large coffee mug, or other heat proof container.
Pour boiling water over the egg, and let sit for 3 minutes.
Drain the hot water off the egg, and cover with cold water.
Whisk the coddled egg yolk into the mixing bowl with the other Caesar dressing ingredients (discard the egg white).
Slowly whisk in the olive oil, until well blended. The dressing should have a consistency which is just a bit thicker than heavy cream.
Add the Romaine lettuce to a large salad bowl.
Toss with a bit of the Caesar salad dressing, then garnish with Parmesan cheese, freshly cracked black pepper and a few of the homemade breadcrumbs.
The salad should be well coated, but not drowning, with dressing.
Because of the raw egg that is used, any leftover dressing should be discarded.
Garlic, anchovies, capers and mustard processed with mortar and pestle
The complete Caesar salad dressing
Cardini's Original Caesar Salad Dressing
Read the story about the origin of Caesar salad: Cardini's Caesar Dressing. The salad was invented circa 1924 when Italian born Mexican Caesar Cardini started making the salad in his Tijuana restaurant.
Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva