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Grilled Caesar Salad is a smokey spin to the classic recipe. Leafy sections of romaine are seared on the barbecue to create a lightly charred texture. The flavors come together with a drizzle of creamy homemade caesar dressing, croutons, and parmesan cheese.
Switch up your typical salad game by grilling the lettuce! The contrast between crisp leaves with lightly grilled warm pieces is unexpectedly delicious. Looking for more tasty salad recipes? Then try Greek Broccoli Pasta Salad, Farro Caprese Salad, or Summer Corn Salad.
Grilled Caesar Salad
Caesar salad is a staple on restaurant menus, but it can be easily made at home. Crisp chopped greens tossed in a creamy anchovy dressing is a classic combination. To take the taste to the next level, the lettuce is grilled to add a hint of char flavor.
Itโs important to use hearty types of lettuce like romaine for this recipe. The sturdy structure keeps makes it easy to sear on the grill. This dish is great to make during the summer when you want to cook every meal outdoors.
How to make Grilled Caesar Salad
- Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, anchovy paste, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Slowly drizzle and whisk in olive oil into the dressing until smooth and creamy.
- Cut the romaine lettuce into quarters. Brush with olive oil and season with salt.
- Heat the grill to medium-high and grease the grates.
- Place the lettuce cut side down, cook until light grill marks appear, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Repeat on the other cut side.
- Serve grilled romaine with caesar dressing, croutons, and parmesan cheese.
How do you grill romaine lettuce?
Learning how to grill romaine is easy! Depending on how large the head of lettuce is, cut it in half or into quarters. To prevent the lettuce from sticking to the grill lightly brush some olive oil on the cut sides. I like to season it with a little bit of kosher salt to enhance the savory flavor.
Sear the lettuce for just a few minutes until light grill marks appear and the edges become toasted. The lettuce should not be completely wilted. The warm edges and cool centers make for a nice taste-texture variation.
How do you make caesar dressing?
The essential ingredients are anchovy paste, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, egg yolks, mustard, minced garlic cloves, and extra-virgin olive oil. I often make a classic caesar salad using egg yolks for the dressing.
If youโre hesitant about using raw eggs, substituting some mayonnaise is a great solution. I did that for this recipe. It has pasteurized yolks and provides a creamy mouthfeel.
What toppings do you add?
Freshly grated aged parmesan cheese is always a must. I love how restaurants add a big speck of black pepper right before eating the salad and have been doing that at home every since.
Whenever I have leftover bread slices or loaves, I make homemade croutons. Itโs super easy to prepare and stores for months! Since you have the barbecue fired up, for a more hearty entree salad, add some chopped grilled chicken.
Looking for more grilled salad recipes? Try these ones!
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Grilled Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Caesar Dressing
- ยผ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ยฝ teaspoon minced garlic
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- ยผ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ยฝ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ยผ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salad
- olive oil for brushing and seasoning
- 2 hearts quartered romaine cut length-wise, keeping the cores in tact
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- โ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup croutons
Instructions
Caesar Dressing
- In a medium bowl whisk together ยผ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon anchovy paste, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, ยฝ teaspoon minced garlic ,ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt, and ยผ teaspoon ground black pepper. l
- Slowly whisk in ยฝ cup extra-virgin olive oil until a thickened dressing is formed. Whisk in ยผ cup grated parmesan cheese.
Salad
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit). Carefully grease the grates using tongs to rub them with a paper towel dipped in olive oil.
- Use a pastry brush or silicone brush to brush olive oil on the cut sides of 2 hearts quartered romaine. Lightly season with salt.
- Place the lettuce with one cut side down on the grill, pressing it down so it creates direct contact with hot grates. Cook until lightly charred, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Flip to the other cut side and grill 1 to 2 additional minutes. Transfer grilled lettuce to serving plates.
- Drizzle the grilled lettuce with the Caesar dressing and top with ground black pepper, โ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, and 1 cup croutons. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
since my grill is under 3 feet snow can I do this under the broiler in my stove?
Yes! Set the broil to high and broil for 1-2 minutes then flip and boil another minute. Let me know how it turns out!
How long after you grill the lettuce do you need to serve it? Does it have to be warm?
It can be slightly cooled off. It will taste great with the cold dressing over top.
Love grilled romaine. So tasty