Description
Classic creamy caesar salad dressing blends rich anchovy, garlic, and parmesan into a smooth, tangy sauce. Home cooks can easily craft this restaurant-quality condiment with simple pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ cup (118 ml) mayonnaise
- ¼ cup (25 g) Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) lemon juice, fresh
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp anchovy paste (optional, but adds depth)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Mixing: Combine mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, black pepper, and anchovy paste in a medium bowl, whisking vigorously until ingredients form a smooth, homogeneous blend.
- Emulsification: Stream olive oil into the mixture while continuously whisking, creating a silky, uniform texture that captures the essence of a classic Caesar dressing.
- Flavor Refinement: Taste and adjust seasoning, introducing more lemon juice for brightness, additional Parmesan for depth, or extra Worcestershire sauce to enhance the umami profile.
- Resting: Refrigerate the dressing for 15-30 minutes, allowing flavors to harmonize and intensify, developing a more complex taste dimension.
- Serving: Give the dressing a final quick whisk to reincorporate any separated elements, then generously drizzle over crisp romaine lettuce, crowning with crunchy croutons and freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Emulsify Carefully: Slowly pour olive oil while whisking to prevent separation and achieve a smooth, silky texture without breaking the dressing.
- Boost Flavor Depth: Let dressing rest in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to allow ingredients to blend, enhancing overall taste complexity and tangy profile.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Substitute mayonnaise with Greek yogurt for lower-fat version or use vegan mayo for plant-based alternative without compromising creamy consistency.
- Balance Seasoning Smartly: Taste and adjust salt, lemon, and Worcestershire sauce incrementally to create perfect flavor harmony, preventing over-seasoning.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Appetizer, Dinner
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg