A Caesar salad is romaine, croutons, hard cheese, and a dressing built on garlic, anchovy, lemon, and egg yolk. That is the whole dish. It was put together tableside in Tijuana in the 1920s and almost nothing about it has needed to change since, which tells you the original was right.
The version most people have eaten is a bagged romaine chop with bottled dressing and crouton dust. The gap between that and a real one is not money. It is a head of romaine you dry properly, bread you tear and toast yourself, cheese you grate off the block, and a dressing that took four minutes to make.
Why It Works: Cold Crisp Leaves and a Clinging Dressing
Two things carry this salad. The first is dry, cold romaine. Water on the leaves is the enemy: it dilutes the dressing on contact and slides it straight to the bottom of the bowl. Wash the leaves, spin them hard, then roll them in a towel and chill them while you do everything else. Cold leaves also stay rigid, so the salad has snap instead of flop.
The second is a dressing thick enough to coat. An egg yolk and a slow stream of oil give you an emulsion with body, so the dressing hangs on the leaf instead of pooling. If raw yolk is a problem for your table, a spoonful of good mayonnaise stands in for it and does the same job.
Classic Caesar Salad
Serves 4 as a starter. Prep 20 minutes, cook 12 minutes for the croutons, total about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 large romaine hearts, about 1 pound total
- 4 cups day old country bread, torn into 1 inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, for the croutons
- 1 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, plus shavings to finish
- Black pepper
For the dressing, about 3/4 cup:
- 1 large egg yolk, or 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 anchovy fillets in oil, mashed to a paste, plus more to taste
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup neutral oil, or half olive half neutral
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Separate the romaine leaves, wash them, and spin them completely dry. Tear the large leaves in half crosswise, leave the small inner ones whole. Wrap in a clean towel and refrigerate.
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the torn bread with 3 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt on a sheet pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until gold and crisp at the edges but still a little chewy in the center. Cool on the pan.
- Make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolk or mayonnaise with the anchovy paste, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, and Worcestershire until smooth.
- Add the 1/2 cup oil a few drops at a time at first, whisking constantly, then in a thin stream once it thickens. You are looking for the texture of heavy cream. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and more anchovy or lemon until it tastes sharp and savory.
- Put the cold romaine in a wide bowl. Add about two thirds of the dressing and toss with your hands until every leaf is coated. Add more dressing only if the leaves look dry.
- Add the croutons and the 1 ounce grated cheese and toss once more. Pile onto plates, finish with cheese shavings and a heavy grind of black pepper, and serve at once.
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
- Calories 380
- Fat 31 g
- Carbohydrates 17 g
- Protein 9 g
- Sodium 620 mg
Tips and Variations
Grilled chicken or seared shrimp turns this into a main. Add it on top, do not toss it in, so the leaves stay crisp.
White anchovies, boquerones, laid over the top instead of mashed into the dressing give a milder, brighter hit for people who think they dislike anchovy.
No romaine worth buying? Little gem lettuce is the best substitute. Kale works too, but massage the dressing into it and let it sit 10 minutes to soften.
Make the dressing up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Toast the croutons the same day you serve.
The Dressing
This salad is only as good as the dressing on it. The full method, including the mayonnaise version and how to fix a broken emulsion, is on the Caesar dressing recipe. Make a double batch and keep half for the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is raw egg yolk safe in Caesar dressing?
A fresh, properly refrigerated egg carries a low risk, and the lemon and acid in the dressing work against bacteria over time. If you are serving anyone pregnant, very young, elderly, or immune compromised, use pasteurized eggs or the mayonnaise version instead. The salad is just as good.
Do I really need anchovy?
Yes, in some form. Anchovy is where the deep savory backbone comes from. If you leave it out entirely the dressing tastes flat and lemony. Worcestershire sauce contains anchovy and helps, but two mashed fillets do far more.
Why is my dressing thin and oily?
The oil went in too fast and the emulsion broke. Start over with a fresh yolk in a clean bowl, then whisk the broken dressing into it slowly, a spoonful at a time. It comes back together.
Can I make this without a whisk?
A blender or small food processor makes the dressing in 30 seconds. Blend everything except the oil, then drizzle the oil in through the top with the motor running.
How far ahead can I assemble the salad?
Do not dress it until the moment you serve. You can wash and chill the leaves, toast the croutons, grate the cheese, and make the dressing hours ahead, then toss it all together in under a minute at the table.
Tools for the Job
- A sharp chef knife for cutting the romaine cleanly instead of bruising it
- A large cutting board with room to tear bread and prep at once
- A wide stainless mixing bowl for tossing without spilling half the salad
- Salad plates so a starter looks like a course, not an afterthought
More Salads
Cobb Salad, Wedge Salad, Italian Chopped Salad, and the full salad recipe collection.
Who Is Writing This
Chef Alan Guerin spent 35 years in professional kitchens, from fine dining rooms to hotels and catering, and earned the Four Diamond distinction six times. He built Wine Drop Cookery to put that experience into plain guides anyone can cook from. More about Chef Alan.