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    Home » Cooking Stuff » Salads

    Classic Caesar Salad. Please Don't Buy That Crap in a Jar

    November 3, 2019 by Karen 92 Comments

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    Classic Caesar Salad recipe with romaine, bacon, croutons and yes - anchovies.  You can leave those out if you want but then it won't be CLASSIC caesar salad, just caesar salad. If you're fine with that, I am too.

    Caesar Salad on a handmade plate set on wood table with a wedge of parmesan cheese and croutons to the side.

    I can't rest until I've completely figured out the best way to do something. A lot of times this obsession really starts to rage when the focus is food.  I'm just not satisfied with something that's pretty good. It has to be the absolute best version of itself that it can possibly be.

    As you can imagine, those around me find this tiresome.  Until they need the perfect caesar salad recipe.  

    Because my homemade caesar salad recipe is going to make them the hit of the pot-luck dinner they're going to and everyone will think they're smarter and prettier and better at math than they really are on account of it.  They will appear so impressive in the glow of the caesar salad that almost any number of good things could happen!  They could be offered jobs, company cars ... pet monkeys!  Anything is possible when you hold the recipe to this crowd favourite.

    Table of Contents

    • Classic Caesar Salad
    • Classic Caesar Salad Recipe
    • Classic Caesar Salad

    Classic Caesar Salad

    Ingredients:

    Grid of all the ingredients of caesar salad dressing: lemon, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, parmesan, egg, salt, pepper, oil, garlic, anchovy paste.

    So that's what you need to make the best Caesar Salad dressing you've ever made. 

    Want to make a meal of it?  Add grilled chicken for a Chicken Caesar Salad. Although, weirdly, even though I like both chicken and caesar salad, I don't like them together. But you might. Most people do. They're weird like that.

    This recipe is made a lot like my mayonnaise recipe using that whole immersion blender technique. Like this ... 

     

    How to Make this Caesar Salad Dressing

     

    OIl being drizzled out of clear glass measuring cup into short mason jar.

    Would you like to save this stuff?

    We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.

    Just whack your egg into a mason jar and then add all of the other ingredients.

    Overhead look at salad dressing ingredients in mason jar on silver tray.

    You don't even need to chop the garlic. Just throw the whole clove in there.

    Stick blender pressed to bottom of mason jar with salad dressing ingredients in it.

    Place the base of your immersion blender directly over the egg yolk until the blender is resting firmly on the bottom of the jar.  Now turn it on.  Don't move the blender!  Just leave it pushed down to the bottom of the jar and everything will immediately whirl and emulsify.

    Emulsified caesar salad dressing in low Ball mason jar.

    Once everything is emulsified you can slowly lift the immersion blender (while holding the mason jar firmly) and it will release it's little tornado-like suction.  Blend up and down a couple of times.

    Let it sit in the fridge for a day if you can and you're done.  (Just like chili, caesar salad dressing is the best the next day.)

    Classic Caesar Salad Recipe

    Classic Caesar Salad

    A classic caesar salad recipe that's garlicky, rich and creamy. Just add romaine! (well and croutons and bacon)
    4.55 from 22 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 people
    Calories: 93.08kcal
    Author: Karen Bertelsen

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup vegetable oil OR very light olive oil
    • 1 egg
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
    • ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
    • 4 tbsps parmesan cheese
    • 1 tablespoon vinegar scant
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ½ inch Anchovy Paste
    • ¾ tsp. salt
    • ¼ tsp. pepper

    Instructions

    • Crack egg into bottom of a wide mouth mason jar or immersion blender jar.
    • Add remaining ingredients.
    • Place the bottom of the immersion blender and blade directly over the egg yolk and press the bottom of the blender to the bottom of the jar. Turn on the blender and let it mix. Once the ingredients are emulsified slowly pull the immersion blender straight up. You will feel a vacuum and then the vacuum seal with break. This technique creates a mayonnaise consistency from your two main ingredients, egg and oil.
    • Pour the dressing onto torn romaine lettuce leaves. Mix dressing into the leaves by hand. I mean, you can use salad tongs if you're fancy like that, but mixing it by hand will do a better job of getting all the dressing evenly distributed over the lettuce.
    • Top with shaved parmesan cheese, croutons and bacon.

    Notes

    Can't stomach the thought of anchovy paste? Don't worry about it, just leave it out.  You just won't have classic caesar salad. You'll have regular old caesar salad. And everybody will judge you. No big deal.
    Can't stomach the thought of raw egg? Don't worry about it, substitute the egg and oil with ½ cup of mayonnaise.
    I used to make this ALL the time with olive oil but it was hard to find an oil that was light enough so now I usually make it with a vegetable oil.
    If you DO use olive oil make sure it's *very* light in taste or it will overpower the other ingredients.
    The dressing is good right away but is even better after sitting in the fridge for a day or two.
    You can also make mayonnaise with the same technique with the immersion blender and it's DELICIOUS. Here's the recipe for that.
    Want an EXTRA CREAMY dressing?  Use 2 egg yolks instead of 1 whole egg.
    Here's my recipe for insanely good homemade croutons to top the salad with.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 93.08kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.38g | Protein: 1.12g | Fat: 9.8g | Saturated Fat: 1.64g | Cholesterol: 14.86mg | Sodium: 188.67mg | Potassium: 9.06mg | Sugar: 0.11g | Vitamin A: 32.82IU | Vitamin C: 0.56mg | Calcium: 21.79mg | Iron: 0.14mg

    Like I said, I love my immersion blender for this. It's the only way to go. Mine is similar to this one by Kitchen Aid, although I'm sure the cheaper ones probably work just as well. I do like the way mine and the one I've linked to have a flat bottom which helps create the great suction for emulsifying (as opposed to the style of blender that have more of a prong bottom)

    Now if you'll excuse me I have some very complicated math problems to solve whilst watching my pet monkey.


    →Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←

     

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    1. Andrea Meyers

      November 06, 2024 at 12:56 pm

      Seriously Karen, publish a cookbook! "How to do things right". Years ago I read one of your posts on how to make the perfect french fries. Your attention to detail to get something right, is precious. Please publish!

      Reply
    2. Sally

      August 05, 2024 at 8:20 am

      Just seen this recipe - it is THE BEST!! - but how long will it keep in the fridge?

      Reply
      • Karen

        August 09, 2024 at 11:44 pm

        Hi Sally! It depends on how risk averse you are, lol. I start to worry about it at about a week. But if I eat caesar salad with dinner every night I usually go through all of it before a week is up. ~ karen!

        Reply
      • Sally

        August 10, 2024 at 4:33 am

        Always happily challenge companies' "best before" dates but, as you say, it didn't make it through a week - gone in 3 days. Amazing recipe - will never buy ready made again!! 😉.

        Reply
    3. Paula

      July 27, 2022 at 1:46 pm

      Red Boat fish sauce is a useful substitute for the anchovy paste and it's not that fishy, for non-fish lovers. I use it in dressings all the time.

      Reply
    4. Beth

      April 13, 2022 at 3:17 pm

      I always think of you when I make this salad dressing. It’s the only one I use and have been making since I first saw this. Can always remember the hilarious title of it too.. I use Bertoli olive oil.

      Reply
      • Karen

        April 16, 2022 at 2:12 pm

        I was just talking about this dressing with my mother the other day. She likes Renee's Caesar salad dressing (crap in a jar). It isn't truly awful to be fair, this homemade is just SO much better and actually tastes like caesar salad dressing. ` karen!

        Reply
        • Beth

          April 16, 2022 at 3:06 pm

          Who is Renee’s Caesar salad dressing? I love yours and only use you recipe

    5. Lily MacBloom

      March 18, 2021 at 3:04 pm

      Karen: I’ve made this salad dressing since the original post date and thought I would let you know it still my go to! When I went to let you know I was shocked it’s been 21 !!! Years WOW! We go wayyy back!

      Reply
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