Three Ways to Caesar
There's no wrong way to make this classic—here are my favorite versions
Caesar salad’s origin story is about as Californian as you can get—a story of immigration, border traffic, and Hollywood stardust, plus lettuce, olive oil, and citrus.
An Italian immigrant (Cesare Cardini) opens a restaurant in San Diego, then moves it across the border, to Tijuana, so he can sell alcohol during Prohibition. The restaurant is so popular with both Mexican and American customers that it runs out of ingredients for its usual salad, so the owner tosses together some lettuce, Parmesan, lemon juice, olive oil, eggs, and Worcestershire sauce. The result makes such a splash that the restaurant becomes a destination for Hollywood stars, and the Cardini takes the idea to the bank, turning his dressing into a supermarket staple.
There are now countless versions of this Mexican-born Cal-Ital dish. Some look a lot like that original version; others stretch the form to extremes. I like pretty much every version, as long as it’s made fresh. But there are three recipes that I actually use, depending on what flavors I want and who I’m feeding. I thought I’d share all three recipes here; you can adopt whichever one you like best.
Mrs. Hicks’ Caesar Salad
This Caesar salad is the one I make most often. It’s named for the person who shared the recipe with me, Patsy Hicks of Montecito. I went to high school with Patsy’s son, Andrew, and on the weekends, when she used to host a dozen of us (or more) at her house, she always made huge bowls of this salad to go with dinner. When we graduated, she presented us each with a framed copy of the recipe. It became a staple in my kitchen, and my mom and sister make it all the time, too. (Even my nine-year-old has learned to make it; it was one of the first recipes she wrote down and put in her own personal recipe box.)
3 hearts of romaine (1 bag)
3–5 garlic cloves
Juice of 2 lemons*
1½ cups (5 ounces) shredded Parmesan
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2–3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 large pinch salt
1 to 1½ cups olive oil
Just Off Melrose Parmesan crisps, or similar flat croutons (optional)
Cut the romaine cross-wise into 1- to 2-inch strips.
Combine the garlic, lemon juice, 1 cup of the Parmesan, the mustard, Worcestershire, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the mixture a few times to blend.
Turn the food processor on, and while it’s running, very slowly pour the olive oil in through the chute in a very steady stream. The dressing should emulsify and look creamy (though it will taste good even if it doesn’t).
Dress the romaine in as much of the dressing as you like, tasting as you go. Toss in the remaining ½ cup Parmesan and the croutons, if using. Any remaining dressing keeps well in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for a few days.
*If using Meyer lemons, squeeze with a citrus juicer; if using regular lemons, squeeze by hand (catching seeds)
Make-In-The-Bowl Caesar Salad
This dressing is made by crushing garlic against the grain of a wooden salad bowl. It’s the only Caesar I make that has raw egg in it. Some people like to coddle the egg (boil it for just 1 minute) before using it, but this recipe only uses a yolk, so I skip that step. Eating raw egg can, obviously, be a gamble, but if you buy high-quality eggs from good producers, and they’re not cracked and have been handled properly, they’re generally pretty safe. (About one in 20,000 eggs in the U.S. contains salmonella.) This dressing gets a lot of its flavor from its olive oil, so make sure to taste your oil before you use it; if it has off flavors or is super peppery, it won’t make a good dressing.
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
Parmesan wedge
2 hearts of romaine, roughly chopped
Put the garlic in a wooden bowl and use a pestle to crush it, chasing it all around the sides of the bowl, until the whole thing is coated with garlic oil and the cloves are almost entirely gone. Remove the bits from the bowl, leaving just the oil.
Put the Dijon, Worcestershire, egg yolk, and a glug of oil in the bottom of the bowl and whisk everything together. Add the romaine to the bowl and toss it with the dressing base.
Squeeze 1 lemon into the salad, catching the seeds. Add another glug or two of olive oil and toss.
Grate the cheese over the salad with a microplane, until you have enough to coat the lettuce. Toss the salad, then add more olive oil, lemon juice, and cheese to taste.
Spicy Garlic and Anchovy Caesar Salad
This dressing was inspired by the version at Industrial Eats, in Buellton, which is currently one of my favorite dishes in California. It’s spicy and full of garlic, with just enough anchovy to give it a nice flavor. Whenever we pass through, I order the Caesar and whatever Eats’ seasonal salad is, and I pile the two together (because the best thing to put on a salad is another salad). My dad is so obsessed that he called the restaurant and asked for the recipe; he didn’t get the whole thing, but they did tell him what the ingredients are. I cobbled together a fairly close version, just as garlicky and spicy as the original. Then I added a little lemon zest, because why not?
For the Croutons
2 thick slices day-old bread (preferably a whole grain sourdough or other flavorful loaf)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
For the Dressing
8 large garlic cloves
5 anchovy filets (from jarred anchovies in oil)
1/3 cup Meyer lemon juice (or ¼ cup regular lemon juice)
1 cup shredded Parmesan
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon dried ground mustard
Freshly ground pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2–3 hearts of romaine
Finely grated lemon zest (optional)
Make the croutons: Cut the crusts off the bread and cut the bread into 1- to 2-inch cubes. Drizzle them with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toast them in a toaster oven or broiler, flipping a couple times, until each cube is crispy on a couple sides but still soft in the center. Set the croutons aside to cool.
Make the Dressing: Combine the garlic, anchovy, lemon juice, Parmesan, salt, mustard, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Run the food processor, scraping the sides once or twice, until you have a uniform paste. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
Cut the root-ends off of the romaine. Tear the longer outer leaves in half; leave the smaller inner leaves whole. Gently dress the lettuce, tossing with tongs or a pair of large spoons. Add the croutons and toss. Taste the lettuce, and top with lemon zest, if desired.
From the Archive: Kate Leahy’s Pasta and Broccoli Rabe with Garlic, Chile, Parmesan, and Breadcrumbs
Looking for a super fast, flavorful, and substantial dinner? Here’s what we were cooking last January, thanks to cookbook author Kate Leahy. Check out the recipe and Kate’s story!
Photos: Georgia Freedman