Introduction
The Caesar salad is an Italian dish with crispy lettuce leaves and a creamy mayonnaise dressing. The dish can be served as a side dish or a mid-morning snack.
Homemade Caesar salad is much more flavorful than store-bought and easy to prepare. There exist so many variants, with most people preferring the thick and creamy Caesar salad. This Caesar dressing has a mayonnaise base, unlike authentic Caesar dressings, which are prepared with olive oil and thickened with raw eggs.
What is Caesar salad?
Caesar salad can be eaten as an appetiser or a side dish. It can also be made into a full meal by adding lean protein. It’s a flavorful, substantial dish that goes well with any season.
This salad comes in a variety of types, but the traditional dish is everyone’s favourite.
Romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing, are the ingredients in a Caesar salad. Olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and garlic are the main ingredients in the dressing.
Parmesan cheese in the dish significantly improves both look and flavour.
Although there are numerous Caesar salad variations, some of the famous ones include bacon bits, grilled fish and buttery seasoned croutons. One can also be inventive and add their own preferred ingredients.
What does Caesar salad dressing taste like?
Caesar salad dressing is more appetising because it is packed with romaine lettuce, anchovies and croutons.
Though difficult to explain, the taste of Caesar salad is a mix of garlicky, smokey, salty and lemony.
The first Caesar was created 70 years ago by hotel chef Caesar Cardini, who chose romaine as it was hard enough to be finger food. He later cut it up and made a fork-friendly salad out of it.
Caesar salad history
Caesar Cardini, an Italian chef who ran a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, created the Caesar salad around the beginning of the 20th century.
It was on July 4th, 1924, that Caesar is believed to have originated the Caesar Salad. According to his daughter Rose Cardini, the restaurant was flooded with American diners.
Caesar Cardini put together the remaining components, which included lettuce stalks, olive oil, a raw egg, croutons, parmesan cheese and Worcestershire sauce.
Cardini’s salad quickly spread over the globe since it gained popularity. It is currently one of the salads that Americans eat the most.
Ingredients required
Garlic
All we need is one clove of garlic. Use a garlic press or finely chop it by hand.
For Caesar salad dressing, fresh garlic is required. Use two medium-sized cloves, which give the dressing an adequate amount of garlic flavour. One can cut back or increase the amount based on personal preference.
Mayonnaise
Several Caesar dressing recipes call for oil and egg yolk, which are made into mayonnaise during the cooking process.
Starting with pre-made mayonnaise is also equally advisable and gives the same taste. There is a wide variety of mayonnaise options in the market. Organic types made with olive or avocado oil are preferable.
Egg
Raw egg is one of the main ingredients in the Caesar dressing recipe. Choose fresh eggs. If an individual isn’t interested in using raw egg yolk, they can switch to pasteurised eggs. There are also egg-free Caesar dressing recipes available.
Lemon juice
Fresh lemon juice is ideal. Lemon balances out the dressing’s richness and enhances every flavour.
For people with lemon sensitivity, there are alternatives for the ingredient, like, apple cider vinegar, orange juice or white wine vinegar.
Dijon mustard
Caesar dressing benefits from adding mustard. Dijon mustard aids in emulsification, which refers to aiding in the binding of the dressing and creating a creamy consistency. Mustard gives the dressing its own distinct flavour.
Freshly ground black pepper is also a mandatory addition to the Caesar salad dressing.
Parmesan cheese
Add a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan to the salad dressing in addition to the handful of parmesan shavings added to the Caesar salad.
Whole milk yoghurt
It gives Caesar salad dressing an extra burst of tangy flavour and makes it as rich and creamy as the classic version.
Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire sauce, in small amounts, completes the flavour of this Caesar dressing.
The abundance of rich umami flavour in Worcestershire sauce gives this dressing a distinct, mouthwatering flavour. Worcestershire sauce is necessary when anchovies aren’t added to the recipe.
Oils
Caesar salad dressing contains overpowering ingredients like egg, garlic and Parmesan cheese, which masks the presence of a single oil.
Therefore, olive oil and a small amount of vegetable oil are recommended for use in the dressing.
Recipe
To prepare the dressing for the traditional Caesar salad
- Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, crushed black peppercorns and garlic in a mixing bowl.
- After whisking vigorously and mixing everything together, let it chill in the fridge.
To prepare the traditional Caesar salad
- Place the lettuce leaves in a mixing basin and place some ice cubes on top for around 10 minutes. In this way, the leaves will stay crisp even after the dressing has been added.
- After 10 minutes, remove all the ice cubes and water, then pat the leaves dry with a fresh kitchen towel.
- Add cucumber slices, tomato halves and bread croutons to the lettuce dish.
- Mix the cold dressing thoroughly with the vegetables in the bowl. Serve the caesar salad cooled and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
- For dessert, serve a spiced apple crumble with a Greek yoghurt recipe.
Preparation method
Hand
- Caesar salad dressing recipes can be prepared by hand. The procedure takes ten minutes and requires the use of a bowl and whisk.
- Although it requires some effort, whisking the oil into the dressing only takes a short while.
- Begin by whipping the egg yolk, lemon juice and mustard until foamy.
- Gradually incorporate the oil into the recipe.
- Whisk continuously till the oil is mixed and the dressing resembles diluted mayonnaise.
- Add anchovies, minced garlic and parmesan cheese and whisk together to get the dressing.
Blender
- All the work for the same recipe is done by using a blender, food processor or immersion blender.
- It takes less than 5 minutes. There is no need for whisking.
- Mix all the ingredients first, except the oil. Then as it continues to run, add in the oil very slowly until the dressing comes together.
