Whole romaine leaves tossed in an olive oil, lemon and egg dressing, with grated Parmesan and garlic baguette croutons.
On a summer evening, you crave something fresh, but the kind of fresh that fills you up. An ice-cold romaine leaf, picked up by the stem, glistening with dressing, with Parmesan clinging everywhere and a golden crouton that crunches between your teeth.
The lemon is sharp, the Worcestershire sauce adds depth, and the egg binds everything into a light cream that coats every leaf. You think you know Caesar salad by heart, until the first leaf you eat with your fingers.
What Is Caesar Salad?
Caesar salad is a salad of whole romaine leaves, dressed at the last minute with olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and eggs cooked in their shells for one minute. It is finished with grated Parmesan and baguette croutons browned in garlic oil. The original version does without chicken, bacon, anchovies and mayonnaise.
Its name comes from Caesar Cardini, an Italian restaurateur based in Tijuana, Mexico, and has nothing to do with Julius Caesar. In Mexico, it is called ensalada César.
Tijuana, 1920s: A Salad Born at the Border
Caesar salad was born in Tijuana in the 1920s, during Prohibition. Americans crossed the border to drink and go out, and Caesar Cardini welcomed them at his restaurant. He made the salad in front of them, in a large wooden salad bowl, with a fork and a spoon.
The leaves were left whole because the salad was eaten by hand, holding each leaf by the stem. Later, Alex Cardini, Caesar’s brother, added anchovies to his own version. The salad then traveled the world and became a classic of American cuisine, most often with chopped leaves drowned in dressing.
The Main Ingredients in Caesar Salad
Romaine provides the crunch and the shape. Its long, firm leaves can be held by the stem and hold up under the dressing, as long as they are well chilled. The croutons are thin baguette slices brushed with garlic oil, dried in the oven, then browned in a frying pan. The garlic flavors the croutons and nothing else. For another crispy garlic topping, there’s fried garlic.
The dressing comes together right on the leaves with olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon or lime juice, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and two barely cooked eggs. The Worcestershire sauce brings saltiness and a note of umami, without anchovies. The eggs bind the oil and lemon into a light cream.
The Parmesan is finely grated so it clings to the leaves. Romano, which is saltier, makes an easy substitute. Shavings, on the other hand, fall to the bottom of the bowl.
Key Techniques for a Successful Caesar Salad
It all happens in the bowl. The leaves get the oil, salt and pepper first, then you roll them with the fork and spoon, turning them over without breaking them. The lemon and Worcestershire sauce go in next, followed by the eggs, cracked directly onto the leaves.
Keep rolling, without stirring, until the dressing turns creamy and coats every leaf. The croutons and Parmesan go in last. If your bowl is too small, work in two batches.
Eggs cooked for one minute stay almost raw. The risk of salmonella is low: according to the American Egg Board, one in 20 000 eggs may contain it.
Arrange the leaves on the plates, stems facing out, so they can be eaten with your fingers. Plates and forks chilled in the refrigerator keep the salad nice and cold all the way to the table. Anchovy lovers can have them on the side, on a crouton or in a small bowl.
Ingredients
Garlic Croutons
- 120 ml olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 16 slices baguette, 0.5 cm thick (4 per person)
Salad
- 3 heads of romaine lettuce medium
Caesar Dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt, about
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, or 8 turns of the pepper mill
- Juice of 2 lemons or 2 limes, or one of each
- 12 drops Worcestershire sauce
- 2 eggs
- 50 g Parmesan grated, or Romano
Instructions
Garlic Croutons
- Make the garlic oil by adding the crushed garlic cloves to the olive oil.120 ml olive oil, 4 cloves garlic,
- Cut the baguette into 0.5 cm thick slices, 4 per person.16 slices baguette,
- Brush the slices with the garlic oil using a pastry brush.
- Dry them in a low oven at 120°C until they are completely dry.
- Then fry them in the rest of the garlic oil until they are golden and the oil has been absorbed.
- For a stronger garlic flavor, blend some of the garlic with the oil and add it only at the very end of cooking the croutons, as garlic burns very quickly.
- Set the croutons aside in a bowl, ready for assembly.
Salad
- Remove the dark outer leaves from the romaine.3 heads of romaine lettuce
- Cut through the core about 5 cm from the base to release the leaves.
- Keep the leaves whole, without cutting or tearing them.
- Keep the leaves in the fridge until assembly: they need to be well chilled.
Caesar Dressing
- Squeeze the juice from the lemons.Juice of 2 lemons or 2 limes,
- If you like, strain it through cheesecloth or squeeze it directly with a citrus juicer.
- Grate the Parmesan.50 g Parmesan
- Set it aside in a bowl, ready for assembly.
- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.
- Lower the whole eggs, still in their shells, into the water and cook them for exactly 1 minute.2 eggs
- Take the eggs out of the water and set them aside.
- Before you start assembling, set out on the counter the salt, pepper, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, citrus juice, eggs, grated cheese, croutons and well-chilled romaine leaves.
Assembly
- Have ready a large salad bowl, preferably a wooden one (it was always Caesar Cardini’s choice), along with a salad fork and spoon.
- Work in two batches if the bowl is too small to hold everything.
- Put the romaine leaves in the bowl.
- Add the olive oil, salt and pepper.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt,, 1 teaspoon black pepper,
- Roll the leaves with the fork and spoon, gently turning them over on themselves, until they are well coated with oil.
- Drizzle with the citrus juice and Worcestershire sauce.12 drops Worcestershire sauce
- Crack the eggs directly over the leaves in the bowl.
- Roll the leaves again rather than tossing them, until the egg and the other ingredients form a creamy dressing that coats the leaves.
- Add the croutons and grated cheese.
- Toss to coat the croutons in the dressing and make the cheese cling to the leaves.
- Arrange the leaves on the plates with the stems facing outward, so they can be eaten with your fingers.
