Grilled Caesar salad
People who give advice about what fish to eat tout the ecological and health benefits of eating smaller fish which are not endangered and don't have a lot of mercury. What better excuse to eat more anchovies.
I can do good things for the environment and have another really good version of a Casesar salad. Grilling the romaine and the croutons outdoors would be a nice touch, but I just used a grill pan then finished the croutons in the oven. I also used an egg substitute instead of a raw egg not because of salmonella phobia but just trying to reduce a little fat and cholesterol given the olive oil and parmesan.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 4 anchovy fillets (I am sure glad they come already filleted)
- 2 small garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Whole grain baguette or batard — cut 12 baguette slices about 1/2 inch thick
- 1/4 cup egg substitute or 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 hearts of romaine. halved lengthwise
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (use real stuff)
Directions
- Combine anchovies, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper into a blender. Puree until smooth.
- Brush the baguette slices with some of this mixture and transfer them to a platter.
- Add the egg substitute or the egg and the lemon juice to the blender with the remaining anchovy mixture. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Grill the bread until you get grill marks. I did this in a grill pan and then finished them in a 400-degree oven. When they are done, cut them into crouton size chunks.
- Grill the cut side of the romaine for a few minutes until you see some grill marks.
- Cut the romaine crosswise into wide strips and transfer to a salad bowl.
- Toss in the croutons, just enough of the dressing to coat, the parmesan, and toss gently.
You are likely to enjoy this one. I like this version of the classic Caesar because of its simplicity and the anchovy impact on the croutons.
Nutrition information (per serving)
- Calories: 318
- Total fat: 22 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
- Sodium: 413 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 23 g
- Dietary fiber: 9 g
- Total sugars: 6 g
- Protein: 11 g