Everything you love about Caesar salad in 4 easy recipes

You can always have confidence in Caesar salad, no matter the situation. It finds a way to shine whether you need it to step in as the main dish or take a back seat as a side.

Refreshing yet hearty and satisfying, its complex umami flavors are balanced perfectly with bright, citrusy notes.

And then there’s the “anchovy-ness” of it all.

Many of us first experienced anchovies on a pizza delivered to us in a carboard box, the fishy odor wafting out the minute the lid was opened. As a child, that pizza was an immediate turnoff and my opinion of anchovies was set in stone — until I got a little older and had my first decent Caesar salad.

When I took a bite of the salad, I had no idea that the deep savoriness of the dressing was, in large part, due to the mashed anchovies that formed its base. Combined with garlic, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese and then emulsified with a raw egg yolk, it was perfection.

While I’m not wild about eating a plate of whole anchovies, they hit all the right notes in a Caesar dressing. If you insist on making Caesar salad without anchovies (and I’m begging you not to), you can get a hint of their umaminess by bumping up the amount of Worcestershire sauce called for in the recipe by a teaspoon or so.

As if anchovies in Caesar dressing wasn’t controversial enough, the use of raw egg yolk also throws people off. Many are squeamish about eating raw eggs or are hesitant for health reasons. If that’s you, there are a couple of workarounds.

If you’re concerned about foodborne illnesses, use pasteurized eggs or swap out the egg yolks entirely with a couple tablespoons of store-bought mayonnaise. While it’s not as authentic, with the anchovies, garlic and lemon in the dressing, egg isn’t the standout flavor. That’s also why I’m including a couple of recipes that utilize mayo instead of yolks.

But for the best version of a Caesar salad, one thing you cannot take a pass on is homemade croutons.

Croutons offer a much-needed crunch to the monotony of eating lettuce, even if the lettuce is a cool, crisp romaine slathered in a delightfully creamy, flavorful dressing. Store-bought croutons just won’t cut it. They typically don’t have enough flavor or heft, often melting away upon first contact with dressing.

Making your own croutons isn’t difficult and the payoff is big. You can pack them full of good-quality olive oil (or butter, if you prefer) or double down on the garlic flavor by steeping your fat of choice in chopped garlic before tossing in the bread and toasting it to crunchy perfection.

But Caesar goes beyond salad. The word has tiptoed into culinary verb territory with the creation of dishes like “Caesared” roast chicken or “Caesared” green beans. While I’m not sure I love the trend grammatically, I do love spreading the Caesar flavor profile around in unexpected ways. That includes two recipes that could be considered twists on the traditional salad.

Or at least a quarter-turn twist. Chicken Caesar is pretty standard as main-dish salads go, but using the dressing to marinate the chicken, then grilling the chicken and placing it on a salad perched on grilled flatbread also slathered in dressing, is, if not genius, pretty smart, I have to say. And it’s absolutely addictive.

Homemade Caesar dressing and croutons are so good, they could elevate almost anything. But you’ll be surprised at what they do for roasted vegetables. I’m using broccoli as my veggie of choice in today’s Caesar Roasted Broccoli recipe, but feel free to swap it out for your favorite.

The anchovy, garlic and lemon-infused “crouton” crumbs would make nearly anything taste good. Combine it with the easy, creamy dressing drizzled on roasted vegetables? Wow. I highly recommend it.

Now that you have a few ideas on how to get more Caesar into your lives, or at least on your dinner tables, use them to make the most of a summer’s worth of produce. With just a little practice, and a lot of whisking, you’ll be making Caesar like a pro.

Serves 4 to 6.

Cool, crunchy, savory and citrusy, a homemade classic Caesar is hard to beat. Note: This recipe contains raw egg yolk, which poses a risk of foodborne illness and is not recommended for high-risk individuals. From Meredith Deeds.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small skillet, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat. Add 3 cloves chopped garlic and cook, stirring, until sizzling, but not browned. Immediately remove from heat.

Place bread cubes on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the garlic oil over the top. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Bake, stirring once, until crisp and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place sheet pan on rack to allow bread cubes to cool.

Mound anchovies, 2 remaining garlic cloves, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt together on a cutting board. Using a fork, mash and mix until well-combined and a paste forms. Transfer to a large salad bowl.

Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper to the bowl. Adding drop by drop to start and whisking constantly, drizzle vegetable oil into yolk mixture. Continue, going slowly, until mixture looks slightly thickened and glossy. Continue to whisk, gradually adding remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream until all oil has been used and the mixture is emulsified and creamy. It should have the consistency of heavy cream. Add a teaspoon or two of water if it seems too thick. Stir in ¼ cup of the Parmesan. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, if needed.

Add the lettuce, croutons and remaining Parmesan and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 (12-inch) flatbreads.

While this recipe has a few steps, they are all easy to do and the result is a delightful combination of pizza, salad and barbecue chicken. If making the dough for the crust is not in the cards, substitute store-bought pizza dough or even 4 large pieces of naan. From Meredith Deeds.

For the crust:

For the salad:

Directions

To prepare the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Create a well in the center of the dry mixture.

Pour the water and 2 tablespoons olive oil into the well. Stir the mixture together until the dough comes together. Knead the dough with your hands until mixed and smooth. Dough may be sticky and you may need to sprinkle a little more flour on it, but don’t add too much. The dough should be very soft.

Form dough into a ball, place in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap. Let rise for an hour at room temperature or refrigerate overnight, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before shaping. (Alternately, combine all the crust ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until the dough comes together in a ball. No need to knead with your hands. Let rise in the closed food processor bowl for 1 hour.)

To prepare the salad: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the anchovies, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Pour 6 tablespoons of the mixture into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Place the chicken into a shallow bowl and pour the remaining anchovy mixture over the top. Turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 1 hour.

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for cooking over medium-high heat; lightly oil grate.

Place the red bell pepper over direct heat. Cook, turning frequently, until all sides are charred. Transfer to a bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let steam for 5 minutes. Using a knife, scrape the charred skin off the pepper. Remove stem and seeds and cut into ¼-inch slices.

Grill chicken, turning halfway through, until deeply browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let rest 15 minutes. Cut into ½-inch slices.

In a small bowl, make the dressing by mixing reserved anchovy mixture together with the mayonnaise. Set aside.

Meanwhile, working with one half of the dough at a time, place on a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a 12-inch round. Repeat with remaining half of dough. Brush one side of each round lightly with ½ tablespoon olive oil.

Place 1 crust on grill rack, oiled side down, and grill 2 minutes or until puffy and golden. Remove from grill and brush the ungrilled side of crust with 1 tablespoon oil. Turn crust over and sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella on top of crust (the previously grilled side). Return the pizza to the grill (ungrilled side down) and cook, covered, until undersides are golden and cheese is melted, about 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining crust.

In a medium bowl, toss the romaine lettuce with ¼ cup dressing, or to taste.

Divide salad between crusts. Top with chicken, red pepper and shaved Parmesan. Serve remaining dressing on the side.

Serves 4.

All your favorite steakhouse flavors are transformed in this over-the-top delicious Caesar salad. The shallot cooking oil does double duty in the dressing as well as the croutons, infusing shallot flavor throughout the salad. Note: This recipe contains raw egg yolk, which poses a risk of foodborne illness and is not recommended for high-risk individuals. From Meredith Deeds.

For the shallots and croutons:

For the dressing:

For the salad:

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare the crispy shallots: Combine shallots and oil in medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes. Stir and continue to microwave in 1-minute increments, stirring each minute, until they are just golden, about 2 to 4 minutes longer. (Watch closely, as the shallots cook quickly toward the end and will continue to brown a bit once they’re removed from the oil. Do not burn them, as they will turn bitter.) Set a strainer over a bowl and drain the oil from the shallots. Reserve the oil. Place the shallots on paper towels to drain and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.

To prepare the croutons: Place bread cubes on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the reserved shallot oil and ¼ teaspoon salt and toss until coated. Spread bread into an even layer on baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes. Cool before serving.

To prepare the dressing: Place anchovies, garlic and salt together on a cutting board. Use a fork to mash into a paste. Transfer the paste into a medium bowl. Add egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Whisk together to combine. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in ⅓ cup reserved shallot oil (if there’s not enough left to make ⅓ cup, add more vegetable oil). The dressing should be thick and creamy. Whisk in olive oil and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

To prepare the salad: Season steaks with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the steaks and sear for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Turn the steaks and sear on the opposite side for another 3 to 5 minutes. Insert a meat thermometer halfway through the thickest part of the steak and test for desired doneness (125 degrees for medium rare, 130 degrees for medium). If the steak is not up to temperature, continue to cook, turning every 1 minute, until the steaks reach desired doneness. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into thin slices.

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, croutons and dressing. Toss to coat. Divide among 4 serving bowls and sprinkle a tablespoon of the shredded Parmesan over the top. Arrange steak slices onto each salad. Sprinkle with crispy shallots and serve.

Serves 4 to 6.

Roasted vegetables are a delicious base for a creamy Caesar dressing and ultra-flavorful crouton “crumbs.” While this recipe is terrific with broccoli, feel free to substitute your favorite roasted veggie. From Meredith Deeds.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

Toss the broccoli with 2 tablespoons oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and place on the baking sheet in an even layer. Roast the broccoli until just starting to brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.

While the broccoli is roasting, place the bread cubes in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, Pulse the bread into the desired crumb size: 10 to 12 pulses for coarse crumbs (about ¼-inch pieces).

Place the anchovies and garlic on a cutting board and mash with a fork into a paste.

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-low heat. Stir in a half of the anchovy and garlic mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add breadcrumbs and, using a flexible spatula, toss to coat. Cook, stirring constantly, until breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and remaining half of the anchovy and garlic mixture.

Drizzle the dressing over the broccoli, sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and serve.

Meredith Deeds is a cookbook author and food writer from Edina. Reach her at meredithdeeds@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram ­at @meredithdeeds.