The Caesar Salad
Egg yolk, oil, anchovy, lemon. It is a hand-whisked emulsion.
Timing: 15 min
The Caesar Salad
Egg yolk, oil, anchovy, lemon. It is a hand-whisked emulsion.
Timing: 15 min
Key move
This is the most bastardized recipe in the world. Bottled dressing is trash. A real Caesar is an emulsion created in the bowl. The creaminess comes from raw egg yolk and oil, not mayonnaise. The flavor comes from anchovies, which Cardini actually opposed (he used Worcestershire), but we use them because we aren't cowards.
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The Setup
- Large Wooden Bowl
- Whisk
The Mise en Place
5 of 10Your prep station before cooking begins
The Base (0/3)
The Emulsion (0/4)
Dressing is runny.
You didn't whisk hard enough or added oil too fast. Add a teaspoon of warm water and whisk again.
Lettuce is soggy.
You didn't dry the lettuce after washing. Water repels the oil-based dressing.
Chef's Notes
For a richer dressing, emulsify by slowly drizzling olive oil into the egg yolk/lemon juice mixture while whisking constantly.
Toast croutons briefly in a pan with garlic-infused oil for extra flavor and crunch.
Top with grilled chicken, shrimp, or salmon for a complete protein-packed meal.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together up to 2 days ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Watch the Technique
Video source: YouTube
The Method
PASTE
Prep aheadIn a large wooden bowl, MASH garlic, anchovy, and salt into a paste using a fork or pestle.
Paste should be uniform and greyish.
BIND
Whisk in egg yolk (1 large), lemon juice (1 tbsp), and Dijon.
Mixture looks smooth and creamy yellow.
STREAM
Time-sensitiveDrop by drop, WHISK in the oil. Pitfall: If you pour too fast, the sauce breaks (separates). Go slow.
Breaking: Add fat slowly while whisking to keep it smooth. Too fast can split the sauce.
It should turn pale yellow and thick like heavy cream.
TOSS
Add parmesan. Toss lettuce leaves with your hands to coat every inch. Top with croutons (1 cup) and plenty of black pepper.
Every leaf is glistening with dressing.
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