I’ve been serving this quick and delicious homemade Caesar salad for years, and it’s always a hit. While its heritage is from Mexican, this salad pairs nicely with Italian and seafood dishes.

There used to be a restaurant in Cincinnati that served tableside-made Caesar salad. The restaurant closed many years ago, and I can’t remember the name of it. I do, however, remember how much I loved that salad.

This recreation is spot on, though it doesn’t use raw egg like the original. I don’t mind raw eggs; however, no one in the family will eat it when prepared that way. Instead, I use an ultra-soft-boiled egg, which gives it that same delicious flavor without sacrificing the quality of the salad.

Worry-Free Cooking

Remember the versatile 8-quart mixing bowl I featured in my Top 10 Essential Kitchen Tools post? Well, that mixing bowl is exactly what I use every time I make this salad. It’s the perfect size and shape for mixing all the ingredients.

I’m not a fan of salad tongs, because they tend to bruise the lettuce from all the squeezing and pinching that happens when tossing the salad with them. Instead, I prefer and recommend a set like this traditional acacia wood salad spoon and fork set. Easy to use for tossing the salad without damaging the lettuce and goes straight prep to the table for serving. Love it!

Menu Planning

If you have leftover French bread, consider making your own croutons for this salad. Cut into ¼” pieces, then toss with olive oil, minced garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake at 350-degrees for 10 minutes.

Enjoy this salad on its own for a delicious meal. Add grilled chicken, shrimp, steak, or salmon to the top to make it a full meal.

This salad pairs nicely with an Italian meal like Geri’s Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs.

Helping Hand

Fresh Parmesan shavings as a garnish adds a little extra flavor to this salad. Get the perfect shavings using a fresh block of Parmesan and a professional grade box grater.

If you’re serving to guests that aren’t fans of anchovies, omit them from the salad. Instead, put anchovy filets on the table and let diners add to salads to their own liking.

For an added twist, skip the Parmesan cheese garnish and use feta cheese instead. And go even crazier with a few extra anchovy fillets as a garnish. Lip smackin’ good!

Prefer fresh grated Parmesan over the Kraft version. Go for it. Fresh is always best even though it may take a little extra prep time.

Romaine lettuce works best because its more durable with the ideal crevasses to capture and hold the dressing. You can easily use iceberg, spinach, bib, Boston lettuce instead of romaine. I recommend you avoid the bitter varieties of lettuce like Kale and arugula.

I prefer to use anchovy filets in oil for the texture and added pop of flavors. Anchovy paste works just as well as the fillets. Paste has a bit of stronger taste, so start with ½ tablespoon. You can always add more to your liking after you toss in the other ingredients.

A raw egg is what gives this salad its original, rich creamy texture. Feel free to use raw instead of soft boiled. To make it as safe as possible, I recommend you use pasteurized eggs.

If you want to avoid the eggs altogether, substitute them for 1/3 cup mayonnaise or 2 tablespoons sour cream instead. Or, of course, you can omit them altogether.

You can easily substitute vegetable oil with a healthier choice. I recommend avocado oil as a first choice with extra-virgin olive oil as a close second.

This is a simple and delicious salad with lots of options for substitutions or omissions. Try them all and find your favorite.

Classic Caesar Salad

Recipe by Annette (•‿•)

This quick and delicious homemade Caesar salad pairs nicely with Italian and seafood dishes. It’s always a hit at the dinner table!

Course: SaladCuisine: Hispanic

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 tablespoon 1 minced garlic
1 tablespoon 1 Worcestershire sauce
2 ounces 2 anchovy fillets, chopped
3 heads 3 romaine lettuce, cleaned
3/4 cup 3/4 vegetable oil
2 tablespoons 2 lemon juice
1 cup 1 grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Croutons (optional)

Directions

Add two eggs to a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then immediately remove from the stove and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Add Worcestershire, garlic, and anchovies to large mixing bowl.
Gently tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces and place in the bowl.
Drizzle half of the vegetable oil, salt, and ground pepper over the lettuce and gently toss to coat the lettuce. Drizzle the remaining oil, salt, and pepper and toss again until the lettuce is evenly coated.
Crack each egg in half over the bowl, scooping out all pieces using a spoon.
Drizzle lemon juice and grated Parmesan over lettuce and toss until evenly coated.
Garnish with croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, as desired.
Serve and enjoy!

Grocery & Gourmet

No matter how you spell it, there really isn’t a substitute for the original Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce.
Use either anchovy filets in oil or an anchovy paste.

Worry-Free Cooking

8-Quart Mixing BowlView Details
Professional Grade Box GraterView Details
Acacia Wood Salad Spoon and Fork SetView Details

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and star rating below. It’s always refreshing to hear how others like a recipe, find success with it, or tweak to suit. I’d love to hear from you!