May 14, 2007
10
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Caesar Salad

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Caesar Salad Credit: André Baranowski
SERVES 4

This salad was reportedly invented by Italian restaurateur Caesar Cardini while he was chef at the famous Hotel Caesar's in Tijuana. We love that establishment's recipe, adapted here.

3 heads romaine lettuce
1 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1⁄3 baguette, cut crosswise into 1⁄4" slices
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Dash worcestershire sauce
1 egg, coddled for 1 minute
1⁄2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Trim about 1" from the bottom of each head of lettuce and peel away all dark green leaves until you reach the pale-green–tipped yellow leaves, or heart of the lettuce (the longest leaves should be no longer than 7"). Discard outer leaves or save for another use. Separate leaves, wash, then pat dry thoroughly with paper towels; set aside.

2. Heat 2⁄3 cup of the oil with the garlic in a medium skillet over medium heat until garlic is golden, about 5 minutes, then remove and discard garlic. Fry bread slices in oil in batches until deep golden, 15–20 seconds per side. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer croutons to a plate, and set aside.

3. Put lemon juice, vinegar, and worcestershire sauce in a large wooden salad bowl, crack coddled egg into bowl, and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon or spatula until smooth. Gradually add remaining 1⁄3 cup oil, stirring constantly. Add cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add croutons, then lettuce, and toss well.

Caesar Salad

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #44

Ratings & Reviews (10)

noAvatar

whaere are the anchovies??  i would personally use more lemon juice and i would als add capers to the dressing/garnish.  i like the idea of frying the croutons as opposed to baking. 

respectfully,

harry waddington 

 

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i've made caesar salad sans anchovies for my vegetarian friend and it doesn't taste complete.  the anchovies provide the foundation for the entire recipe.  i haven't made this recipe and don't have the experience to critique, but here i am with my two cents, anyway. 
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runi and harry both have it wrong; your recipe is spot on and the anchovies would ruin it.   i have used this recipe many times to rave reviews.  the dressing is light and acidic, the fresh croutons crispy and comforting.  next time maybe runi should try it before bashing it, he really appears foolish.
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i almost forgot - harry and runi should check the ingredients in worchestershire, i think they will find anchovies in it.
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i make a very similar caesar, and eveyone i serve raves about.  i substitute a tablespoon of dijon mustard for the egg, use white wine vinegar instead of red and include 6 garlic cloves minced in the salad.
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this helps a lot

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opinions aside--and people have a lot of them when it comes to caesar salads--this recipe IS the recipe for caesar salad. if you have been putting anchovies in yours, good for you--and everyone else who puts anchovies in their salads. anchovies are yummy. but adhering to saveur's relentless pursuit of truth in food, we did our research before publishing this recipe. we dug until we found ground zero of caesar salads. and here it is. --carolynn carreño www.carolynncarreno.wordpress.com
noAvatar
This is an outstanding recipe. I have a similar recipe for the dressing that uses worchestershire instead of the actual anchovy. I adore anchovies and have no objection to mashing a small amoount into the dressing ingredients, but the worchestershire provides the anchovy undertone and those who don't like the little fishes never know what makes it so good. BTW, a little Dijon Mustard does stand in nicely for the coddled egg if health concerns dictate caution, but I do love the real thing.
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carolynn, the recipe description clearly says it was "adapted" from the Cardini's recipe, not a reprint of his recipe.

I am on team anchovy.
noAvatar
Have made thrice for dinner parties. HUGE hit.
Caesar Salad 5 5 2 10

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