Can you make Caesar salad ahead?

Make the dressing and the croutons up to three days ahead and wash the lettuce in the morning, but toss it all together only at the table. Dressed romaine goes limp fast.

Can I leave out the anchovies?

You can, but then it tastes like garlic mayonnaise on lettuce. A teaspoon of extra Worcestershire sauce replaces some of the savory depth, not all of it.

Can I make it with a raw egg yolk like the original?

Only with pasteurized eggs, and the salad should then not be served to pregnant people, young children, older adults or anyone with a weakened immune system. The mayonnaise version here is already pasteurized.

What can I use instead of a baguette for the croutons?

Any sturdy white bread, torn rather than cubed so the edges catch the oil. Rye bread works too, though it makes the salad taste distinctly Nordic.

Is Caesar salad vegetarian?

No. Both the anchovies and the Worcestershire sauce contain fish, and parmesan is made with animal rennet.

MIDDAGS
ARKIVETSearch

StarterAI generated

Caesar Salad

Name: Caesar Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 0.5 cup mayonnaise; 0.5 cup parmesan, finely grated; 4 pieces anchovy fillet, oil-packed, mashed to a paste; not Swedish ansjovis; 1 clove garlic, grated; 1 pieces lemon, juice only; 1 tsp mustard, Dijon; 1 tsp worcestershire sauce; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp water, to thin; black pepper, to taste, freshly ground; salt, to taste; 0.5 pieces baguette, day-old, torn into bite-size pieces; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 clove garlic, lightly crushed; salt, to taste; 2 pieces romaine lettuce, about 1 1/2 lb (700 g) total; 2 oz parmesan, shaved, for serving; black pepper, to taste, for serving

By MiddagsarkivetOctober 23, 2026

Time: 30 min
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4 servings

Caesar salad was invented in Tijuana in the 1920s by an Italian restaurateur cooking for Americans, which makes its nationality a matter of opinion. It reached Nordic kitchens by way of hotel lunch buffets in the 1980s and never left. In Denmark and Sweden it is now as ordinary as a bowl of pasta, usually with grilled chicken on top when it has to pass for dinner.

The dressing here is built on mayonnaise rather than a raw egg yolk, which is how most home cooks make it and which removes the question of egg safety entirely. The anchovy is not optional in any meaningful sense: it is what makes the dressing taste like Caesar rather than like garlic mayonnaise. Note that Swedish ansjovis, sold in tins as Swedish anchovy, is spiced sprat and will not work here. Use Mediterranean anchovy fillets packed in oil.

White bowl of Caesar salad with romaine leaves, croutons and shaved parmesan on a wooden table — AI generated image. The dish has not been photographed.

How to make it

1
Fry the croutons
Heat the olive oil and the crushed garlic clove in a skillet over medium heat. When the garlic smells fragrant, remove and discard it, add the torn baguette and fry, tossing often, until the pieces are golden and crisp on all sides. Salt lightly and transfer to a plate to cool.
8 min
2
Mix the dressing
In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, grated parmesan, mashed anchovy, grated garlic, lemon juice, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in the olive oil, then add water a tablespoon at a time until the dressing pours slowly from the whisk. Season with black pepper and only a little salt: the anchovy and parmesan are already salty.
5 min
3
Prepare the lettuce
Trim the root ends, separate the leaves and wash them in cold water. Dry thoroughly in a salad spinner or between clean towels. Wet leaves will not hold dressing. Tear or cut the leaves into wide pieces and put them in a large bowl.
10 min
4
Toss
Pour two thirds of the dressing over the lettuce and toss with your hands or two spoons until every leaf is coated. Add more dressing if the leaves still look dry.
2 min
5
Serve
Scatter the croutons over the salad, top with the shaved parmesan and a generous grinding of black pepper, and bring it to the table at once.

A couple of tips

Chill the washed leaves in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before tossing. Cold lettuce stays crisp much longer under dressing.

Mash the anchovies on a cutting board with the flat of a knife and a pinch of salt until they are a smooth paste. Whole pieces in the dressing surprise people unpleasantly.

To turn it into dinner, lay sliced grilled chicken on top. Chicken must reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

What you need

A salad spinner
A box grater or Microplane

Serving

Serve as a starter before a simple main, or as lunch with grilled chicken or shrimp on top and a piece of bread alongside.

Storing it

Caesar salad does not keep once dressed; the leaves collapse within an hour. The dressing keeps 4 days in a jar in the refrigerator, and the croutons keep 3 days in a paper bag at room temperature. Assemble just before serving.

Nutrition per serving

Calories	570 kcal
Fat	45 g
of which saturated	10 g
Carbohydrates	26 g
of which sugars	4 g
Fiber	5 g
Protein	15 g
Salt	3 g

Guideline values, worked out from the ingredients.

Questions and answers

Can you make Caesar salad ahead?: Make the dressing and the croutons up to three days ahead and wash the lettuce in the morning, but toss it all together only at the table. Dressed romaine goes limp fast.
Can I leave out the anchovies?: You can, but then it tastes like garlic mayonnaise on lettuce. A teaspoon of extra Worcestershire sauce replaces some of the savory depth, not all of it.
Can I make it with a raw egg yolk like the original?: Only with pasteurized eggs, and the salad should then not be served to pregnant people, young children, older adults or anyone with a weakened immune system. The mayonnaise version here is already pasteurized.
What can I use instead of a baguette for the croutons?: Any sturdy white bread, torn rather than cubed so the edges catch the oil. Rye bread works too, though it makes the salad taste distinctly Nordic.
Is Caesar salad vegetarian?: No. Both the anchovies and the Worcestershire sauce contain fish, and parmesan is made with animal rennet.

This dish belongs to

Collections

Similar recipes

Greek salad with tomato wedges, cucumber, green bell pepper, red onion and olives topped with slabs of feta in a shallow ceramic bowl

Side

How it was made

This recipe was written by a language model. Below is what it cost, how long it took and when each step ran, so you can see how the archive comes about.

Cost: $0.254
Time: 1 min 29 sec
Model calls: 5
Safety check: Passed

Date	Step	Model	Usage	Time	Cost
Oct 23, 2026	Wrote the recipe	anthropic/claude-opus-5	8,276 in · 3,612 out tokens	44.6 sec	$0.132
Oct 23, 2026	Checked food safety	anthropic/claude-sonnet-5	2,411 in · 19 out tokens	1.3 sec	$0.005
Oct 23, 2026	Made the picture	bfl/flux-2-max	1 image	19.5 sec	$0.070
Oct 23, 2026	Worked out the nutrition	anthropic/claude-opus-5	1,638 in · 1,438 out tokens	18.9 sec	$0.044
Oct 23, 2026	Set the collections	anthropic/claude-sonnet-5	1,457 in · 27 out tokens	1.4 sec	$0.003

Caesar Salad

How to make it

Fry the croutons

Mix the dressing

Prepare the lettuce

Toss

Serve