As the famous Ace of Base lyric goes, 'a man may die, but not his ideas'. Caesar Cardini may have passed away in 1956, but his remarkable salad endures – and with the warmer weather just around the corner, now is the ideal moment to put your own spin on this timeless dish.
A Caesar salad is a firm favourite of mine – in fact, any salad crammed with ingredients that have no business being there earns top marks, and Caesar is the ultimate example. Salty, cheesy, oily and punchy, a Caesar salad has earned its classic status for good reason.
Yet even the most celebrated dishes can be revitalised with a handful of clever tweaks, which is precisely what this recipe sets out to achieve. One of the Caesar's greatest strengths is the sheer variety of protein you can throw in, whether solo or combined in an irresistible savoury trio. Chicken, bacon, or steak all work brilliantly alongside the anchovies and egg that form the foundation of the dressing.
Being a competent yet frequently laid-back cook, I've swapped out the oven-roasted chicken for a straightforward, budget-friendly alternative that delivers on both flavour and texture. Chicken tenders, picked up for £3 from Sainsbury's and cooked until gloriously crispy before being tossed through the indulgently rich dressing, create a satisfying lunch or dinner.
It's wonderfully straightforward and brings so much extra depth to the dish, elevating it well beyond the standard version.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- Six anchovy fillets, drained of oil
- One clove of garlic
- Two egg yolks
- Two tbsps of fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp dijon mustard
- Two tbsps of olive oil
- Half a cup of vegetable oil
- Three tbsps of grated parmesan cheese
For the salad:
- Two heads of romaine lettuce, chopped
- Garlic croutons
- 305g Sainsbury's Buttermilk chicken mini fillets
- Shaved parmesan to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C and put your chicken in to bake. As it cooks, prepare your dressing.
Chop together the anchovy fillets and the clove of garlic until you have a fine paste. Scrape the paste into a medium bowl.
In the bowl, add your egg yolks, lemon juice and mustard and then whisk until thickened and slightly glossy.
Drop by drop, add in your olive oil, whisking continuously to emulsify. Slowly stream in your vegetable oil, still whisking constantly. The mixture should double in size and be smooth and glossy - albeit quite thick.
Add your grated parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Shred your lettuce and add it to the bowl, mixing thoroughly to ensure all the leaves are coated.
Take your chicken out, slice it and set it aside to cool for a few minutes. Add your croutons to the salad, along with your slightly cooled chicken, and toss again to combine. Use a vegetable peeler to shave off slices of Parmesan atop your salad and serve.
