No one ever accused senior food editor Molly Baz of not having enough opinions about food. In Molly’s Got Thoughts, she’ll dive deep into some of her favorite dishes and, along the way, drop looooots of knowledge for how you can achieve the best version yet. Today: how to make Caesar salad.
If there’s one thing I know with certainty, it’s that Cae Sal reigns supreme in the salad kingdom. It is my one true love (aside from Tuna—and no, I’m not talking about the kind that comes out of the ocean and is usually packed in cans; I’m talking about the extra-long, teeny-tiny weenie who I live with.) For goodness sake, I even own a pair of customized Nikes that say “Cae” on one tongue and “Sal” on the other! True story!
To me, a Caesar salad is the platonic ideal of a salad—I hold few things in the world in higher esteem. It can easily serve as the main event, but it’s just as delightful as a side. It prominently features greens, which make me feel virtuous, but those greens get covered in mayonnaise, which makes me feel full. There are carbs in the form of croutons, which make me feel happy, and there is always an abundance of parm which is, by my account, the king of cheeses and therefore welcome on my plate at all times.
When done right, it’s one of life’s greatest pleasures. But when done wrong, it’s a disappointment, a bowl of lost potential. Since many of us have a helluva lot more time on our hands these days and exactly nowhere to go, it seems like the perfect opportunity to commit to mastering one of the great salads of our time, dontcha think? You can make it anytime, anywhere—all you need is a few kitchen staples and a head of romaine lettuce—and it’s fairly simple to execute. You’ve just got to bear in mind the few rules that set a superlative Cae Sal apart from a sub par one:
1. Cold lettuce = crisp lettuce.
The glory of a great Caesar salad lies in the juxtaposition of cold, crunchy refreshing romaine lettuce and fatty, garlicky parmesan-laden dressing. Keep your lettuces cold until right before serving so as to not disturb that beautiful balance. Otherwise, you’ll be eating warm wilted greens slathered in mayo. Yuggg.
2. Homemade dressing is the only dressing.
Whether you’re making a dressing completely from scratch by emulsifying oil into egg yolks, or simply zhuzhing up some Hellman’s with all the classic components of a Caesar dressing (two totally acceptable options!), a homespun dressing is crucial. Neither one of the two major players in a great Caesar dressing—fresh garlic and lemon juice—has a particularly long shelf life. Which means that the bottled dressings you find in the supermarket are likely packed with citric acid and/or garlic flavorings to mimic their flavor, or preservatives to extend their longevity. And there’s nothing delicious about that.
3. ‘Choves are not optional.
I am fully aware that tiny pungent tinned fish are not everyone's idea of a good time. I am not a fan of whole anchovies myself. But there is no denying their power in a proper Caesar dressing. When mashed to a paste and dispersed throughout the salad, they provide umami and depth of flavor without tasting noticeably “fishy.” Look for oil-packed anchovies, which are milder and less salty than the one that are packed in, well, salt. Okay, if you really and truly can’t stand the idea of them, leave them out. But if you’re on the fence and about to tackle homemade Caesar for the first time, stay with me. Don’t knock it til you try it, as they say. (They say that, right?)
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