Ina Garten-Inspired Caesar Dressing
The thing people leave out is the thing that makes it Caesar.
Anchovy supplies glutamates — the same savoury compounds that make Parmesan and tomato taste deep. Take it out and the dressing is lemon, oil and cheese: a pleasant vinaigrette that tastes like it is missing something, because it is.
Mashed to a paste it does not taste of fish. It tastes of more.
Jump to the recipe ↓Ina Garten-Inspired Caesar Dressing
about 300 ml · Dressing
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 10 min
Easyfew steps, few ingredients
Ingredients
- 4 anchovy fillets, in oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 180 ml olive oil, mild rather than peppery
- 50 g Parmesan, finely grated
- black pepper
Method
- Mash the anchovies and garlic to a paste with a little salt, flat of a knife or pestle.
- Whisk in the yolks, lemon juice, Dijon and Worcestershire.
- Oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy.
- Whisk in the Parmesan and plenty of black pepper.
- Taste. It should be sharper than seems right — the lettuce will mute it.
Emulsify with the yolk, slowly
Egg yolk carries lecithin, which lets oil and lemon juice hold together. It only works if the oil goes in slowly enough for the yolk to keep up — a thin stream while whisking, not a pour.
If it splits, start a fresh yolk in a clean bowl and whisk the broken dressing into that, slowly. It comes back every time.
Grate the Parmesan finer than feels necessary
Coarse shreds sit in the dressing rather than dissolving into it. On a microplane, the cheese disappears and the whole thing thickens slightly.
Season it for the salad, not the spoon
Dressing tasted alone always seems too strong. Once it coats leaves, roughly half the intensity disappears. Under-seasoning here is the common mistake.
About the raw yolk
If raw egg is a concern, use pasteurised yolks — they emulsify identically. Do not substitute mayonnaise; the texture is right but it brings its own vinegar and the balance shifts.
Storing
Three days, covered, in the fridge. It thickens cold — loosen with a teaspoon of water, not more oil.
Questions people ask
Can I leave out the anchovies?
You can, but it stops being Caesar. They supply the savoury depth; lemon and Parmesan cannot replace it.
Will it taste fishy?
No, provided they are mashed to a paste rather than chopped.
Why did it split?
The oil went in too fast. Whisk the split dressing slowly into a fresh yolk.
Can I use a blender?
Yes, and it is more forgiving. Add the oil in a thin stream with the motor on.
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