Ultimate Caesar Salad
This is Caesar salad done right. Each component is abosutely delicious making an unforgettable, ever so reliable salad. Top with some pan seared chicken or cajun shrimp and you've got a meal!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 3 tbsp mayonaise
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
- 1 zest and juice of a lemon
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
For the Salad:
- 1-2 romaine lettuce hearts, washed and torn into bite size pieces
- 4-6 slices old fashioned (thick cut) bacon
- 1 cup crusty bread or sourdough, cubed
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp large grated fresh parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon, cut in wedges optional garnish
Instructions
Dressing:
- Add all ingredients to a mason jar and shake vigourously until well combined. Tatse and adjust seasoning to your liking - keep in mind flavours will intensify as the dressing sits. For more tartness, add lemon; for more tangy flavour add salt, dijon, or worchestershire, for more spice add more garlic and/or pepper, for more richness add parmesan cheese. To thicken, add mayonnaise, to thin, add olive oil. Refrigerate until ready to use, will keep for several days in the fridge.
For the Salad:
- Wash and spin dry or pat with paper towels the romain hearts. Tear and add to a large bowl. Top with the large grated parmesan cheese (I use a vegetable peeler to make large grates of cheese).
- Cut your bacon with kitchen shears into bite size pieces straight into a frying pan. Saute on medium low until cooked through and crispy. If your bacon is cooking too quickly or starting to burn, add a splash of water to the pan and it will soften the bacon and slow down the cooking. By the time the water evaporates the bacon will be perfectly cooked.
- Remove bacon to cool on a bowl or plate lined with paper towels. Drain all but 1-2 tbsp of bacon grease from the pan.
- Add the cubed bread to the remaining bacon grease. Season the bread cubes with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and cook until well browned and crispy. You do not want the bread to be soft at all or it will become soggy once dressed in the salad. Once done, remove bread to the same plate as the bacon to cool.
- When ready to serve, toss the lettuce and parmesan with enough dressing to moisten all the leaves generously. Taste, season with salt and pepper if necessary. Add the bacon and croutons and toss quickly. Serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing, if desired.
