How to Make Legendary Caesar Salad

Everyone loves Caesar salad. The dressing is one of the first things my mother-in-law, Dottie, taught me to make because hers is legendary. She remembers fondly her travels to Mexico in the 1950’s to attend the bull fights, “We never went to Tijuana without going to the Caesar Hotel, famous for the  Caesar salad.  The recipe was given to me by the maitre d’ after many, many visits.” 

Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe

There are different methods for combining the ingredients, of course. You’ve seen tableside service with the big wooden bowl? I learned to make it using a food processor with these ingredients:

• one clove of garlic
• 1 can of drained anchovies
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• the juice of one lemon
• one coddled egg
• parmesan cheese
• olive oil
• romaine lettuce

Dottie puts a few capers in there too. There should be ground pepper in here, but I prefer grains of paradise instead.

The Egg

To coddle the egg, (only the very freshest egg), bring a saucepan full of water to a boil. Take it off the heat and gently lower the egg into the hot water with a slotted spoon. Let it hang out in there for about a minute, just until all the air bubbles have come out. Then take out the egg and put it in cold water.

If you’re nervous about using a nearly raw egg, I understand. Make sure that the egg is fresh. If you’re under 8 or over 80, as they say, perhaps it’s not advisable for you. Use additional olive oil instead or add a little mayonnaise. I have sometimes left out certain ingredients for people with dietary restrictions, so feel free to experiment on your own. One thing is for sure, though. If you leave out the anchovies, just don’t call it a Caesar. A Caesar isn’t a Caesar without them, as far as I’m concerned.

Toppings for Caesar Salad

Years ago, I used to order a fabulous Caesar salad at Vigilucci’s in San Diego. They topped it with breaded, fried calamari. Who needs croutons with those tasty, crunchy morsels?

I started making it that way at home for something extra special, but for such a small amount that I was making here, I didn’t feel like using up another egg to make the breadcrumbs stick, so I just threw some mixed seafood into a skillet for a couple minutes. You will know they’re done when the shrimp turn pink and the calamari and scallops change texture slightly.

Something Crunchy

Dottie makes a genius side for her Caesar: single layered wedges of pita bread, topped with butter and parmesan. She bakes them in the oven until crunchy. They’re fantastic and they go fast! Trust me, you can’t eat just one…which is why I don’t make them for parties anymore. They are so popular that I ended up spending all night in the kitchen preparing batch after batch upon request. Maybe I just need to post a sign that reads, “Limit: 3 per customer.”

For more on making your own salad dressings, please read Undressing the Dressing next.