
Classic Caesar Salad
A timeless, restaurant-quality Caesar salad made entirely from scratch — featuring a bold, creamy dressing built on anchovy paste, fresh garlic, lemon, and Worcestershire, tossed with crisp romaine, golden homemade croutons, and a generous snowfall of Parmesan. This approachable, well-tested recipe skips raw egg yolk anxiety by using a simple emulsification technique that's reliable every time.
4 servings · Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min · Total 35 min
Salad
Ingredients
Open in recipe scaler →Croutons
4 cup crusty bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes
sourdough
French bread
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 pinch kosher salt
1 pinch black pepper freshly ground
Dressing
2 cloves garlic finely minced or grated
2 tsp anchovy paste
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice from about 1 large lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
0.33 cup mayonnaise full-fat recommended
0.5 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
3 tbsp olive oil extra-virgin
0.25 tsp black pepper freshly ground
1 pinch kosher salt
Main
2 whole romaine lettuce hearts chopped into 1-inch pieces, washed and thoroughly dried
Topping
0.5 cup Parmesan cheese shaved or coarsely grated, for topping
1 tsp black pepper freshly cracked, for finishing
Equipment
Oven
Baking Sheet
Mixing Bowl
Pie Dish
Wooden Spoon
Platter
Measuring Cups
Whisk
Plates
Knife
Serving Platters (Large)
Jelly Roll (10x15)
Tongs
Measuring Spoons
Cutting Board
Mixing Bowl (4 Quarts)
Dipping Fork
Grater
Instructions
- Preheat your #[Oven] to ![375°F]. In a large #[Mixing Bowl], toss the @[Crusty Bread] cubes with the @[Olive Oil], @[Garlic] minced, @[Kosher Salt], and @[Black Pepper] until evenly coated.
- Spread the @[Crusty Bread] cubes in a single layer on a #[Baking Sheet]. Bake for ~[12–15 minutes], tossing halfway through, until golden brown and crispy. Remove and let cool completely. They will crisp up further as they cool.
- In a small #[Mixing Bowl], combine the @[Garlic] minced and @[Anchovy Paste]. Using the back of a #[Wooden Spoon] or a #[Dipping Fork], mash them together into a smooth paste — this is the flavor base of your dressing.
- Add the @[Lemon Juice], @[Dijon Mustard], and @[Worcestershire Sauce] to the #[Mixing Bowl] and #[Whisk] together until combined.
- #[Whisk] in the @[Mayonnaise] until smooth and creamy. Then drizzle in the @[Olive Oil] while whisking constantly to emulsify the dressing.
- Stir in the @[Parmesan Cheese] finely grated and @[Black Pepper] freshly ground. Taste and adjust seasoning — add a pinch of @[Kosher Salt] if needed (the @[Anchovy Paste] and @[Parmesan Cheese] are already salty, so go easy). If the dressing is too thick, thin it with a teaspoon of water at a time.
- Make sure your @[Romaine Lettuce Hearts] is thoroughly dry — wet lettuce will dilute the dressing and make it slide off. Place the chopped @[Romaine Lettuce Hearts] in a large salad #[Mixing Bowl].
- Drizzle about two-thirds of the dressing over the @[Romaine Lettuce Hearts] and toss well with #[Tongs] to coat every leaf. Add more dressing to your taste — not every leaf needs to be drenched, but every bite should have flavor.
- Add the cooled croutons and half the shaved @[Parmesan Cheese], and toss gently one more time. Transfer to serving plates or a large platter. Top with the remaining @[Parmesan Cheese] and a generous crack of fresh @[Black Pepper]. Serve immediately.
