I don’t want you to be scared by what I’m about to tell you, so promise me you won’t be!
Ready? OK, here we go. One of my kid’s favorite salad dressings happens to be this Classic Caesar Dressing and — drum roll please — it’s made with raw egg yolks and anchovies.
At this point you’re either disgusted and about to find another recipe on the site, or centering yourself with a deep breath and thinking about giving it a shot. I understand if you have a wary reaction. Even Chloe was dubious about this recipe when I made it with her the first time. WIth her face semi-scrunched up she asked me with mild alarm, “can I really eat raw egg yolks?!” Since I use pasteurized eggs to make this dressing I assured her she didn’t have to worry, but it got me thinking that both of my kids often choose Caesar dressing when we go out to eat, and I never really give much thought to the raw egg thing when they’re gobbling it up. I’m actually ok with it but if you’re really concerned or eat a vegan diet, you could make this equally delicious Eggless Caesar Dip instead. Or opt for a vinaigrette instead and serve salad with Everyday Lemon Vinaigrette!
However the second — bigger — hurdle Chloe had to overcome, was the addition of anchovies. Most people I know have a love-hate relationship with anchovies. Personally, I could eat them till I’m blue in the face, but to a 5 year-old they can look weird and kind of scary. For this dressing they add tons and tons of flavor, vitamins and minerals, so if you are making it with your kids, try your best to make them seem as appealing as possible (or — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — make the dressing in the corner of the kitchen when no one’s watching!).
I love serving this Caesar before dinner as a dip alongside raw carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, sugar snaps and other veggies, or tossed with crunchy croutons and chopped romaine lettuce in a DIY Salad Buffet.
It may take a second to get over the fear of a few ingredients here, but I promise that as soon as you take your first bite you’ll think it’s totally worth it!
Classic Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 6 anchovy filets
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor.
- Pulse until smooth.
Hi Catherine,
Love the site. Have made many recipes and they all turned out great. This one was a huge flop though. I followed the ingredient list ant the directions and my dressing did not blend at all. It was just a terrible liquidy mess and I had to throw the whole thing out. It probably should have been made more like a mayonnaise to emulsify properly. I just wanted to let you know because I was really disappointed to waste all those ingredients. It should be noted though that this is the first time that I’ve made something from the site that didn’t turn out.
What a great idea to use as a dip! I use anchovy paste with pretty good results too-kids don’t seem to mind a bit!
Yes, I get the kind in the can from the grocery!
What kind of anchovies–tinned? Looks yum and just got fresh eggs from the farmer’s market!
Love this recipe – raw eggs, anchovies and all!
I store it for about 1 week!
I love this recipe but have a question on storage-how long will it keep in my fridge safely?
I would store it for about 1 week! I do have a Ranch recipe: http://b12.ba4.myftpupload.com/2011/01/25/ranch-dip/ , and a veggie dip recipe: http://b12.ba4.myftpupload.com/2010/05/18/veg-wee-dip/
Thank you for this! And thanks for the suggestion on the eggs. I am very excited to try this. How long do you think this will keep in the fridge? Do you have a Ranch recipe?