My Caesar dressing is so creamy, tangy, and garlicky that once you taste it you will never buy Caesar dressing again. I have been perfecting this recipe my entire adult life. Years ago I only made the more traditional caesar salad recipe which was very good. But I wanted a creamier dressing...one that really clings to the lettuce. So after much testing I finally came up with the perfect combo of both mayo and olive oil. Using just mayonnaise and no olive oil makes a dressing that I feel is too thick and rich. Adding olive oil gives the dressing the perfect consistency.
Most of these ingredients are pantry staples except the anchovy paste. Anchovy paste is so amazing since it comes in a tube that you can keep in your fridge for months. I used to hate to have to look at the anchovies that we had to buy before this paste came out. You may be tempted to leave off the anchovy paste, please be brave and try it first. It gives the dressing a zip that can not be replaced.
I like to grate the parmesan with a microplane. The microplane grates the cheese so fine it is similar to snow. If you do not have a microplane I encourage you to buy one. Its great for zesting limes and lemons, grating fresh nutmeg, and grating fine chocolate.
Combine all the ingredients, except the olive oil, in a medium bowl. Add more black pepper than you think you need. Stir to combine.
Place a towel under your bowl, so it will not move around as you whisk the olive oil in. Slowly stream the olive oil in the mayo mixture as you whisk. You want the olive oil to slowly incorporate into the mayo. This method insures that the dressing stays creamy and will not separate. If you simply dump the olive oil in there is a chance the dressing will separate, which means the olive oil and mayo never combined properly. Trust me on this, I know from experience.
CREAMY CAESAR DRESSING RECIPE
Serves 4 people
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- black pepper (grind more than you think you need)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
PREPARATION
- In medium size bowl add all ingredients except olive oil, stir to combine.
- Put your bowl on a towel or paper towel so it will not move around when you begin to whisk in the olive oil.
- Slowly drizzle the olive oil into your bowl as you are stirring the mixture with a whisk or fork. Let the mayo mixture slowly absorb the oil. If you just dump the oil in the mayo mixture it will not stay creamy and thick and might separate (which means the oil and mayonnaise will not combine).