Classic Caesar Salad Recipe (Original, No Chicken)
For many decades Caesar salad was completely exotic to us for a very simple reason: a good half of the ingredients weren't available, and we didn't even know they existed. Not so long ago the salad began to appear on restaurant menus, usually made “at the chef's discretion”, with ingredients that have nothing to do with the dish added, swapped and so on. That's how Caesar drifted away from the original, just as today's Olivier salad has drifted from Lucien Olivier's masterpiece.
The story goes that Caesar salad was first made on US Independence Day, July 4, 1924, by the Italian chef Caesar Cardini in Tijuana, not far from San Diego but on the Mexican side. It happened by chance: the restaurant's supplies ran out while the guests wanted the party to go on. And the great chef worked a miracle that made his name immortal. Despite the somewhat exotic ingredients, the salad is very simple: eggs, olive oil, lettuce, bread, cheese, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
Despite widespread stereotypes, the salad is made without fried chicken, anchovies, mushrooms, mayonnaise or processed cheese; those are illusions and misconceptions. That said, there are plenty of clone salads with additions foreign to the original. The maestro's brother added anchovies, and that salad is known as the Aviator's Salad. Others added chopped chicken cutlet, seafood, pickled mushrooms. In fact, this dish shared the fate of many beloved salads.
As far as I understand, the original or canonical recipe was never published, and Caesar salad is made according to Caesar Cardini's daughter, who once described it. There are plenty of rumors, stories and fantasies, though. Be that as it may, the salad is brilliant in every sense.
The highlight of Caesar salad is the dressing, made from the almost liquid contents of a briefly boiled egg, lemon juice, Parmesan and exotic Worcestershire sauce.
Caesar salad also has croutons. Behind this pretty name is simply bread toasted in oil. You may be surprised, but garlic croutons, a great snack with beer, are typical croutons. Restaurants often serve their signature dishes on croutons. All over the world croutons are a must with split pea soup. In general, it's worth working out a toasting method that suits you: it will come in handy more than once.
Ingredients
2 servings
- Romaine lettuce 1 bunch
- White loaf or French baguette 0.5
- Olive oil 3 tbsp
- Egg 1
- Parmesan 50 g
- Worcestershire sauce 4-5 drops
- Garlic 1-2 cloves
- Lemon to taste
- Ground black pepper, salt to taste
Step-by-step recipe
- The original Caesar recipe uses romaine lettuce. It's sold in stores as small loose heads or as little plants in small pots. The leaves are often tied with a ribbon. Many recipes use other kinds of head lettuce: leaf lettuce, frisée and so on. There are plenty of variations.
- Put the leaves in cold water ahead of time so they become firm and crisp; this matters. You can make the croutons from any wheat bread, but to my taste the nicest, most tender and crunchy croutons come from a French baguette. For a truly good salad you need the best ingredients: a ripe, juicy lemon, good garlic, real Worcestershire sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano, although it's almost always replaced with Grana Padano or something similar.
- Take the romaine out of the water and separate the leaves. Dry them very thoroughly, ideally until there's not a trace of water left. The leaves must be completely dry. Romaine isn't cut with a knife. Tear it by hand into small pieces about the size of a postage stamp. The tough center ribs aren't used in the salad; remove them and throw them away. Put the torn leaves in a deep bowl.
- How to make Caesar salad dressing
- Next, make the dressing for the salad. It's quite simple, if a bit unusual. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. When it's boiling hard, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Carefully lower a fresh egg into the water and cook it for exactly 1 minute. Lift the egg out with a spoon and let it cool in a bowl of cool water.
- Crack the cooled egg at one end and scoop the contents into a small cup or bowl with a teaspoon. Make sure no bits of shell get in. In 60 seconds of boiling the white just barely sets, while the yolk stays practically raw. Basically, the egg is close to what we call soft-boiled.
- Finely grate the Parmesan. Add half of it to the cup with the egg. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Grate 1 or 2 garlic cloves into the cup, also to taste. Add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. A few drops means 3-4 or 5-6; you don't need much for the salad to taste great. Also add 1 tbsp of olive oil and squeeze the lemon juice straight into the dressing. Usually 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice is added.
- Blend the dressing with an immersion blender until completely smooth: there should be no lumps or noticeable bits except the Parmesan. As you blend, the dressing emulsifies a little and thickens. The Caesar dressing is ready. Pour it over the torn lettuce and toss lightly, or just turn the leaves over so the dressing spreads evenly.
- Croutons
- While preparing the lettuce and dressing, toast the croutons. Cut the crust off the loaf or baguette; you can dry it and use it as breading for patties or fried fish. Cut the white crumb into cubes. The size is up to you: you can cut them the way you do for herbed wheat croutons, or much larger. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and toast the croutons until they just begin to brown. Never overcook them: just a light toasting until they're pleasantly crunchy, no more.
- Add the croutons to the lettuce and toss again. Croutons get soggy fast, so the salad can't be made ahead, only right before serving, so it looks its best. At the very least, add the croutons on top of the salad once it's on the plates, and don't toss them in beforehand.
- Arrange the salad on small flat plates. If you didn't add the croutons to the salad earlier, put them on top of the dressed leaves. Sprinkle the salad with the rest of the Parmesan.
- So the dish is ready to surprise you. Serve the salad immediately: it can't wait, and neither can we. Amazing flavor and a wonderful aroma make it an exceptional appetizer.
- Finally, remember that this salad uses eggs that are barely cooked. The eggs must be very fresh and from a reliable source to avoid problems. If you like, add chicken, anchovies, capers, fish or seafood to the salad; it's all secondary and optional. But to me, it's better to make a separate dish from all of these that will set off the flavor of the Caesar salad.
| Serves: | 2 servings |
| Calories: | 113 |
| Prep: | 15 mins |
| Cook: | 5 mins |
| Total: | 20 mins |
| Category: | Salads |
| Cuisine: | American cuisine |
| Rating: |
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4.5
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