A great Caesar salad lives or dies by the dressing… and I say that as someone who spent years ordering Caesar salads at restaurants specifically to reverse-engineer what was going on in that bowl. The store-bought versions? They’re fine. They’re just not that.
This dressing — my Tiny Kitchen Caesar Dressing — is creamy, zesty, and has just enough edge to it that you’ll know immediately this is the real thing. The secret is building the flavor in layers: you press the garlic and juice the lemon first, whisk those together with the Dijon and Worcestershire, then bring in the mayonnaise and Parmesan… and that’s when it starts to smell like every great Caesar salad you’ve ever had.
I include a little anchovy paste — optional, I promise I won’t judge you either way — but if you’ve never tried it, know that it doesn’t taste fishy at all. It just adds this quiet, savory depth that makes everything else in the bowl taste more like itself. Five minutes, one bowl, and you will never reach for the bottled stuff again. Use it on my Grilled Caesar Salad — or honestly just a classic romaine situation with homemade croutons. Either way, it’s time to bring it!
Tiny Kitchen Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Anchovy Paste optional
- 1 Lemon (1 Tablespoon Juice and Zest)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (adjust to taste)
- To taste Salt
- To taste Pepper
Instructions
- Press Garlic and Juice Lemon.
- Combine Garlic, Lemon Juice, Dijon Mustard and Worchester Sauce. Mix together with a Whisk.
- Add Mayonnaise, Parmesan Cheese, Anchovy Paste, Salt, Black Pepper and Lemon Zest. Whisk together until thoroughly combined.
- If a smoother consistency is desired, add Olive Oil and whisk until thoroughly mixed. (Note: add a touch of water to thin dressing even further.)
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