Description
Sometimes it’s hard to get a good Caesar salad. Look no further. Deconstructing the dressing – by putting the poached egg atop the salad – and grilling the romaine sets this salad apart.
Ingredients
Caesar Dressing:
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 2 anchovy fillets, salt-packed, rinsed and patted dry (see notes below)
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 small garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Salad:
- 6-pack of Little Gems baby romaine or 3 hearts of romaine
- Olive oil to drizzle on romaine
- 6 eggs
- Chunk of hard grating cheese like Manchego
- 1 cup seasoned croutons (optional/more or less to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Flaky sea salt, like Maldon
Instructions
Make the Caesar dressing:
In a blender, add the Parmesan, lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, anchovy fillets, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend.
With the motor running, pour the oil in in a thin stream, until incorporated and emulsified.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Makes 3/4 cup. You will need about half for this recipe. Store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Make the salad:
Split the Little Gems or romaine hearts lengthwise. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
Place cut-side down on a hot grill until charred, about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a chilled serving platter and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Poach eggs. A drop of white vinegar added to the simmering water helps keep the whites from going rogue. I love these OXO poaching cups! You put them in simmering water and drop the egg through the solid top half and the water circulates through the holes in the bottom. The silicone provides the perfect barrier to give you that extra nano-second needed to really corral the whites. It’s a flawless technique.
Assemble:
Drizzle the Caesar dressing across the grilled romaine. Using a vegetable peeler, slice shards of Manchego on top and scatter croutons around. Top the salad with poached eggs.
Season with flaky salt, like Maldon, and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
If you can’t find salt-packed, use anchovies packed in oil. Rinse them well, then cover them with kosher salt. Set aside for 10 minutes. Rinse well again, and pat dry. This will wick out the fishy oils and just leave sea-flavor. You can of course omit them, but they add that unctuous umami that is hard to achieve in a salad dressing.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Grilling