Little Gem Caesar Salad
This Little Gem Caesar Salad is made with homemade caesar dressing, crisp lettuce, and crispy lemon breadcrumbs with tons of fresh dill. It's truly a restaurant-worthy salad recipe, but it couldn't be easier to make!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 4 - 6 servings
Ingredients
Caesar Salad
- 4 heads little gem lettuce
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- kosher salt
- 4-5 sprigs fresh dill, leaves removed
Crispy Breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup fresh or panko breadcrumbs*
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a pint-sized wide mouth mason jar, combine the egg yolks, olive oil, neutral oil, garlic, dijon, Worcestershire, lemon juice and zest, parmesan, and red wine vinegar. Use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients until they’re very smooth and emulsified. If the dressing is very thick, stream in a little water and blend until the dressing is pourable. Season to taste with salt and refrigerate until ready to use. It's best to make the dressing in advance so the flavors can meld.
- Clean the lettuce. Remove the lettuce leaves from the head, discarding any brown or wilted pieces. Rinse the lettuce in cold water and use a salad spinner to drain the water from the leaves. Set them out on a paper towel lined sheet and pat them dry.
- Make the toasty breadcrumbs. Melt the butter and oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the breadcrumbs to the pan and toss well so that they're coated in the butter and oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and crispy--about 7-10 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Assemble the salad. Toss the little gem lettuce with as much dressing as desired and transfer to a serving bowl. Top with crispy breadcrumbs, freshly grated parmesan, and fresh dill. Top with more cracked black pepper and serve right away.
Notes
*instructions for making fresh breadcrumbs are in the blog post and and be found by accessing the table of contents at the top of the page.
