Caesar Dressing
Caesar dressing is mayonnaise with a personality. The structure is the same yolk-and-oil emulsion; the character comes from anchovies, garlic and Parmesan. The anchovies do not make it taste fishy — pounded to a paste, they simply deliver glutamates that make the whole salad taste far richer than it is.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Rest
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 215 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
A teaspoon of anchovy paste works in place of the fillets. The flavour is nearly identical; just go more carefully with salt.
Makes: about 250 ml
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Pound the anchovies with garlic
Work the fillets, the garlic and a pinch of salt to a smooth paste in a mortar. The anchovies must disappear completely, or the dressing carries sharp salty pockets.
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Step 2: Build the base
Scrape the paste into a bowl, add the yolk, mustard, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, and whisk for 30 seconds.
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Step 3: Start drop by drop
Add the sunflower oil a drop at a time at first, whisking constantly. This is the same emulsion as mayonnaise, and rushing the beginning breaks it immediately.
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Step 4: Continue in a stream
Once the mixture pales and thickens, pour the oil in a thin stream. Add the olive oil only at the end, two spoonfuls: whipped olive oil turns distinctly bitter.
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Step 5: Fold in the Parmesan
Stir through the grated cheese. Grate it as finely as you can — coarse shavings will not dissolve and simply sink to the bottom.
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Step 6: Get the consistency right
It should pour like single cream. Loosen with 1–2 spoonfuls of cold water: too thick, and it clumps on the leaves instead of coating them in a film.
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Step 7: Let it rest
Grind in pepper and chill for 20 minutes. In that time the garlic and anchovy settle into a single flavour.
Tips & variations
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Tip
The yolk is raw here. Use the freshest eggs, or coddle the egg for 60 seconds in boiling water and use the barely-set yolk instead.
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Swap
A teaspoon of anchovy paste works in place of the fillets. The flavour is nearly identical; just go more carefully with salt.
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Variation
A quick version that skips the emulsion: whisk 4 spoonfuls of ready-made mayonnaise with anchovy paste, garlic, lemon and Parmesan.
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Storage
Three days in the fridge. Dress the salad right before serving — romaine loses its crunch within 10 minutes.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 6 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 215 kcal | 1,290 kcal |
| Protein | 3 g | 18 g |
| Fat | 22 g | 132 g |
| Carbohydrates | 2 g | 12 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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