Recipes: Caesar Salad with Lemon Croutons

A restaurant staple and a salad that I grew up eating as much as possible, the Caesar salad is a house favorite and a classic for a reason 🥬

Growing up in the 90s in South Florida, Caesar Salad was all the rage. I remember it being the de facto ‘fancier option’ when you would be out to eat at a restaurant and, as a kid, I would wonder why anyone would ever choose the basic house salad over the house caesar option. Crispy romaine hearts, crunchy croutons and dressed generously with a luscious emulsion of flavor packed ingredients. It was my first favorite salad and I felt it was high time that I had a recipe for it!

A little side story: My dad actually managed a restaurant in North Miami that I worked at on the weekends at around the ages of 10-14. It was called ‘The Porterhouse Bar and Grill’ and was a pretty large space complete with a dance floor and multiple seating areas. It was popular with the early birds and at 11pm, would turn into a night club that was open until 6am! I would only work until towards the end of the night shift and there would be this hour where I would wait for my Dad to finish up. During that time I would always treat myself to a side caesar and a warm loaf of the house bread they’d serve the tables. They were good times and some of my first real experiences with the feeling of independence.

Making homemade croutons is a fantastic upgrade to the boxed options that you’ll find in stores and it’s also really easy to do! They’re both crispy and soft at the same time and you can season them with whatever you fancy. To make them, you just slice down a slightly stale loaf of bread of your choice into cubes.

Toss them in olive oil and bake them off for about 15 minutes or until browned & crispy but not hard. For this one, we’re adding some grated Parmesan and lemon zest for a nutty flavor and bright pop. You can actually quite a bit of lemon zest without it becoming overwhelming so don’t be bashful and add just a bit more than you think you need.

The dressing we’re making is a pretty classic mix of anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, egg yolks, dijon mustard, a neutral oil, olive oil, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper. Like any smooth and silky emulsion, you want to drizzle in your oil slowly as you whisk, so that it emulsifies as it goes (starting with your neutral oil and then moving to your olive oil). You can also use straight olive oil if you prefer, though the flavor can be a bit stronger and sometimes turn a bit bitter.

For our veggies, we’re sticking to romaine heart cut into chunky pieces and adding in some chopped endive leaves for some extra bitter crunch.

Then we just toss everything together in a large bowl along with some shaved Parmesan. I recommend mixing in about half of the dressing to start and then adjusting with more to your preference.

Plate with more shaved Parmesan and fresh cracked pepper 🙌

I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you take away anything from it, it’s that making your own homemade croutons is awesome, delicious and an easy way to upgrade a salad 😋

Cheers,

Joey

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Full Recipe Below

Croutons Ingredients:

• a loaf or half loaf (depending on size) of any bread, cut into 1” cubes

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan

• ¼ cup fresh lemon zest

Dressing Ingredients:

• 8 anchovy filets (packed in oil), drained

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled

• 2 egg yolks (from large eggs)

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• juice from 1 lemon

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tbsp avocado oil

• 3 tbsp Parmesan, grated

Salad Ingredients:

• ¼ cup Parmesan, shaved (plus more for garnish )

• 2 heads of romaine, crunchy inner parts only (green leafy section removed & reserved for another use)

• 2 endive, leaves separated and cut in half if preferred

• Salt and pepper

Steps

• Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, toss together bread, 3 tbsp olive oil and lemon zest. Spread out on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with grated Parmesan. Drizzle with some more oil and bake for about 15 minutes, until browned & crispy but not hard.

• To make the dressing, combine anchovies and garlic in a mortar and pestle and smash to a rough paste. Add lemon juice, egg yolk and dijon, whisk to combine. Gradually whisk in avocado oil, followed by olive oil to help it emulsify. Whisk in 3 tbsp of grated Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

• To assemble, combine your veggies along with 2 couple cups of croutons and 3 tbsp of dressing.

• Add shaved Parmesan and mix together by hand. Add more dressing and croutons if desired and garnish with more shaved Parmesan. Enjoy!