Description
My all-time favorite classic Caesar dressing recipe! Alternate instructions included in the notes below for how to make this dressing by hand or with a hand (immersion) blender.
Ingredients
- 5 anchovy fillets*, drained
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 2 large egg yolks*
- 1/3 cup (3/4 ounce) freshly-grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon each fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Blend the base ingredients. Add the anchovy filets, garlic, egg yolks, Parmesan, lemon juice, Dijon, sea salt and black pepper to a blender. Purée for 5 seconds, or until combined.
- Add olive oil. While the blender is still running, remove the small cap from the blender lid and gradually stream in the olive oil until the dressing is completely smooth.
- Adjust seasonings/consistency. Add a few tablespoons of water, as needed, until the dressing achieves your desired consistency. (I prefer mine to be about the consistency of heavy cream.) Then taste and add extra salt and/or black pepper, if needed.
- Serve. Serve the dressing immediately, or refrigerate for up to 8 hours. (If using raw eggs in this dressing, it should be consumed the same day it is made.)
Notes
Anchovies: Please feel free to use more or less anchovies to taste. When shopping for anchovies, look for the canned fish aisle for small jars or tins of anchovies packed in oil. Alternately, you can use anchovy paste (1/2 teaspoon = 1 anchovy, more or less), but to be honest, I much prefer the flavor of the whole anchovy filets in this recipe.
Raw eggs: Raw egg yolks are traditionally used in Caesar dressing. But they do carry the risk of salmonella, so you consume them at your own risk. If you prefer not to use raw eggs in this recipe, you are welcome to use pasteurized egg yolks instead. Or you can substitute 1 tablespoon of mayo for each yolk.
How to make this recipe by hand: Finely mince the anchovy filets and garlic (or mash them together into a paste). In a mixing bowl, whisk them together with the egg yolks, Parmesan, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper until combined. Then while whisking the mixture with one hand, gradually stream in the olive oil and continue whisking the dressing vigorously until it is completely smooth. Continue with steps 3 and 4.
How to make this recipe with an immersion blender: Combine the base ingredients (in Step 1) in a mixing bowl, and blend together for 5 seconds with the immersion blender. While the immersion blender is still running, gradually stream in the olive oil and continue blending until the dressing is completely smooth. Continue with steps 3 and 4.
