The BEST Caesar

I hesitate to call this a recipe because it's really more of a template. The creamy Caesar dressing does the heavy lifting, while the greens, toppings, and crunchy bits are entirely up to you. Little gems or kale, sardines or crispy capers, croutons or quinoa.. there's no wrong answer.

I come back to this salad over and over because it adapts to the season, what's in my pantry, and what I'm in the mood for. It's simple enough for a weekday lunch but feels special enough to serve alongside an elevated dinner.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes… seriously 10 minutes

Ingredients (3-4 servings)

For the dressing:

• 1 whole egg

• 3 anchovy fillets

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• ¼ cup neutral oil + 3 tbsp olive oil

• ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano*

• Salt and pepper to taste

Salad and optional add-ins:

• 2 heads of little gem lettuce OR bunch of curly kale thinly shaved

• Can of sardines (current fav is Fishwife sardines)

• Heart of palm or crispy capers (either adds a nice briny zing!)

• Toasted sourdough tossed with olive oil, salt, & garlic powder

  OR crispy quinoa (will post a separate recipe soon!)

• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

  *I know this sounds pretentious, but Parmigiano Reggiano is a regulated and authentic Italian parmesan. Aged for at least a year, has way more complexity, and no added preservatives like many of the parmesan cheeses outside the EU. Don’t skimp on the quality here.

Step 1: Dressing

1. Add egg, anchovy, garlic, dijon, and lemon juice to an immersion blending vessel or small food processor. Blend for a few seconds.

2. Slowly drizzle the oil as you continue to blend. Slow and steady here is key for the liquid and fat to emulsify. Too fast and it may split. It will thicken as you add more oil. If it’s still runny, keep adding oil.*

3. Add a pinch of salt, some freshly ground pepper, and parmesan. Give it a stir and a taste. Add more salt if needed.

4. Enjoy :)

   *The size of your egg matters and changes the liquid to fat ratio. Bigger egg = more oil.

Step 2: Salad

1. Rip gem lettuce into bite size pieces. If using curly kale I like to shave it for more surface area to grab the dressing.

2. Generously dress the lettuce and toss in a big bowl before plating.

3. Plate and top with desired add-ons. Use a microplane and grate some extra parm on top or use a sharp knife and shave it. Both are gorgeous options!

Highly recommending keeping some extra in the fridge for emergency salads :)

Lasts about a week!