Caesar Salad
Crisp romaine, golden croutons, and shaved Parmesan brought together with a blender Caesar dressing of anchovy, lemon, capers, and egg. A genuine classic that earns its place at any table.
For the Salad
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup croutons
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
For the Dressing
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 10 small capers
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 anchovy fillets, or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- Black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup light olive oil or canola oil
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Combine the garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, capers, egg, anchovy fillets, and black pepper in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before you start — a cold egg in particular can prevent the dressing from emulsifying properly.
- With the blender running on its lowest speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream — this should take a couple of minutes at least. The slower you go, the thicker and creamier the finished dressing will be, so don't rush it. Once all the oil is incorporated, add the ¼ cup of Parmesan and pulse a few times just to combine. Taste and season with salt and additional pepper as needed. Refrigerate until you're ready to use it, for up to 3 days.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, croutons, and ⅓ cup of Parmesan. Drizzle over as much dressing as you'd like and toss to coat everything evenly. Finish with a little extra Parmesan and fresh lemon wedges alongside for serving.
Chef's Note: The slow oil drizzle is the single most important technique in this recipe — what you're doing is creating an emulsion, where the oil binds with the egg to form a thick, creamy sauce rather than a thin, oily liquid. If you pour the oil in too quickly, the emulsion breaks and you'll end up with a separated dressing that no amount of blending will rescue. Low speed, thin stream, patience.
This dressing keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days, which makes it a smart weekend prep if you want weeknight salads ready in minutes — store the dressing, lettuce, croutons, and cheese separately and only combine them right before serving to keep everything at its best. For extra-crisp lettuce, wash and spin dry the romaine a day or two ahead and store it loosely wrapped with paper towel in the fridge.
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