Active Time
25 minutes
Total Time
25 minutes
The beloved, classic Caesar salad—that standard you can find everywhere from pizza parlors to supermarkets to upscale eateries—has a somewhat confusing identity. Is it Italian? Mexican? American? The answer is that this garlicky favorite is all three, a food that owes its existence to immigration, American Prohibition laws, and the genius of one enterprising restaurateur. According to legend (and lots of reliable reporting), the salad was created by Cesare Cardini (whose name is sometimes misspelled as “Caesar Cardini”), an Italian American chef who moved his restaurant to Tijuana from San Diego after the start of Prohibition. The spot became popular both with locals and visiting Americans (who poured over the border regularly to wet their whistles); as such, the restaurant often ran out of ingredients. On one such night, when the restaurant’s usual salad was 86’d, Cardini threw together a combination of romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, eggs, and Worcestershire sauce. The result was so good, he added it to the menu.
In the century since, that simple original recipe has spawned almost countless variations. There are now chicken Caesar salads, kale Caesars, vegan versions, and fusion adaptations galore in pretty much every city across the country. Iterations of the salad’s creamy dressing recipe have add-ins like minced garlic, Dijon mustard, anchovy paste, raw egg yolks without the whites; some Caesar dressings are mixed by hand tableside, others whipped together in a food processor. Crispy homemade croutons, often made with hearty bread, like sourdough, have become de rigueur.
This version comes from former Gourmet food editor Shelley Wiseman. She notes that when her father, John Wiseman, and her stepmother moved from Mexico to England, her father started to help with the cooking—and the first thing he learned to make was this homemade Caesar recipe. It’s a pretty classic version, with anchovies in place of the original Worcestershire. Its utterly perfect flavors remind us exactly why Cardini’s spur-of-the-moment invention has remained popular for so many decades.
Ingredients
6 servings
Preparation
Step 1
Season large bowl (preferably wooden) by rubbing 1 cut half of garlic and 1 tsp. oil onto bottom and side of bowl (reserve garlic).
Step 2
Heat ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil with both halves of reserved garlic in a large skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, 1–2 minutes, then discard garlic. Add 1 Portuguese roll or a 7" piece of baguette, cut into ¾" cubes and cook, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer croutons to paper towels to drain. Pour oil through a small fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring cup and add enough additional olive oil to total 6 Tbsp.
Step 3
Add 8 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained to prepared salad bowl and mash to a paste with a fork. Whisk in 1 large egg and 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice until combined. Pour reserved 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (warm or at room temperature) in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Step 4
Add 3 hearts of romaine, leaves separated but left whole to dressing and toss to coat. Add croutons and toss briefly.
Step 5
Divide salad among 6 large plates, then sprinkle with 1 oz. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and more black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Do ahead: Although the croutons are best warm, they can be fried 1 hour ahead.
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally printed in the June 2005 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our favorite salad recipes →
*Raw egg is not recommended for the elderly and people with weakened immune systems...or people who don’t like raw egg.
Leave a Review
Reviews (75)
Back to TopIf you're looking for the old recipe, you can go into archive.org and find it with this link! I did just that and now I can write it down.
Sierra
Knoxville, TN
5/25/2023
Agreeing with the reviewer from 4/29/23. The original recipe from before 4/21/23 was an absolute banger; quick and easy with loads of flavor. This current iteration is overly complex, and the ingredient ask is much higher than it should be for a dressing that should be a staple item in your fridge. Please bring back the original recipe! It was really good!
Torin
Seattle
5/3/2023
I have been using this recipe for years and bookmarked it. The recipe now has changed completely! It looks like it was revised 4/21/23. I don’t think it’s fair to change the recipe but keep the old reviews for the old recipe. I’m kicking myself for not writing the old recipe down. Sad face.
Anonymous
4/29/2023
This recipe changed everything. Nothing stands up to this empress of a salad. To call it a salad even makes me a bit sad. This is what Caesar Salad is supposed to be. It's always good, every single time, year after year. Instant classic.
Anonymous
JPB
3/31/2023
Excellent recipe for the dressing and the suggestions of tossing with your hands and just topping with Parmesan are great hints.
KMcP
2/18/2022
Great recipe. I made it last night.
Anonymous
Port St. Lucie, FL
1/22/2022
Very well balanced dressing! It is my new favorite.
janeco
Philadelphia, PA
6/22/2021
Delicious. Will make it again and again.
Mamacaniac
Raleigh NC
4/16/2021
Perfection!
katedlandau383
New York
9/29/2020
Lovely! Wouldn't change a thing.
Anonymous
Davis, CA
9/26/2020
This is my gateway anchovy recipe. I was hesitant to try them, but I finally bit the bullet and used them for this dressing, and I'm so glad I took the plunge. I make the dressing in a quart deli container with an immersion blender so I can drizzle the oils in very slowly while blending with my other hand; this method works perfectly for hollandaise as well. I've made this salad twice in the past couple weeks and my super picky 8 year old keeps begging me to make it again; he's eaten 2 servings each time I've made it. That's a big vote of confidence!
miriamg
NJ
5/7/2020
I have made this recipe for the last 5 years for Christmas and it is always a hit. I usually make lasagna from scratch and serve it with this salad. Nothing better than fresh ingredients and the fresh flavors of this salad. So simple, and so delicious.
njthomp882304
Minneapolis, MN
12/23/2019
Love, love this recipe.
cpbjr
12/6/2019
This is excellent. I used a mini Cuisinart and was a little worried that the garlic wouldn't be truly mashed, but it was fine, though I will smash it first next time. I used a larger garlic clove and thought it was a bit too much (and I like garlic). Also, used about 1 tsp of anchovy paste and 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce and no additional salt. We made the homemade croutons with country bread and they were delicious. My family loved this salad. FYI - typical 3-pack of romaine hearts and one batch of dressing was great as side salad for 6 adults.
Anonymous
Chicago
7/29/2019
For non-anchovy eaters, I replace it with crispy fried anchovies in the dressing (available in Asian market around the snack sections) minced in food processor. They think it's panko crumbs. I had the last laugh.
rvj711
Fairfax, NoVA
6/14/2019
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