I have made a lot of Caesar salad dressings in my life and many start with Mayo or Sour Cream or Both. But this one is my favorite and it includes neither. I have fallen madly in love with this dressing and it is the only one I make these days.
When I make the dressing I typically make a double batch – saving me the time to make more. This dressing helps me eat a lot more salads. Two of my favorites are Chicken Caesar Salad and another is Garlic Shrimp Caesar Salad.
Tip if you are going to Costco and thinking of making this dressing… Get the large package of Romaine lettuce, a roasted chicken and some other veg and you will have many meals for the week. Chicken Caesar salad for the win. I also buy the Argentinian Frozen Wild Shrimp from Costco too. (You may want to grab a giant piece of Parmesan while there too!)
The below Garlic Shrimp Caesar Salad recipe is also on my page – link is here.
What’s the secret to the dressing ?
I think that the secret isn’t so much a secret. It’s the anchovies! You knew that, though, didn’t you? I know some people can get squeamish about anchovies, but honestly – you don’t even need to touch them (assuming you have an immersion blender or a food processor?!)
The first time I made the dressing I was picking and poking at the anchovies – checking them out – smelling them etc. But now days I just pop those bad boys into the dressing and keep moving.
I get my anchovies most regularly at Trader Joe’s. They are economical and easy to use – and if you make a double batch of dressing – there is no waste. You can use the whole tin. These are the ones I bought most recently. And they are good for a long while – so when I’m at TJ’s I grab a couple. The anchovies are also very nice to use as a base in your tomato sauce… 🙂
If I don’t get them from TJ’s I do like this brand as well – which I can get on Amazon or whole foods or from various Italian markets. I don’t think it matters too terribly much what brand / where you get your anchovies as but I wouldn’t cheap out on them – they aren’t that expensive and they are a key ingredient.
WARNING: Make sure you buy FLAT FILLETs – Once I bought anchovies and they were the whole fish. Skin and all. You definitely do not want that. (or maybe you do – but I definitely did NOT.) Be sure to pay attention to that little detail ! Fillets are just the ‘meat’ of the fish and what you’d want for this recipe and for your pasta sauce etc.
The second “secret” if you will, in my dressing, is that it uses a smidge of greek yogurt. This is in the place of the mayo / sour cream and gives the dressing a bit more of a creamy feel. I always have some sort of plain yogurt on hand. If you do not – just buy a little container of plain greek yogurt for this recipe.
Could Preparation be ANY Easier?
No. Really… couldn’t be easier.
Toss all the ingredients into a prep container and zip up with your immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender consider using your food processor. If you don’t have either of those tools – then get out your chefs knife and chop the anchovies and the garlic super fine and then stir / whisk up the balance.
When I made this dressing last night – I timed myself and it took 17 minutes. And I put away all the ingredients after using them. I’m confident you can make this dressing in less than 20 minutes. And, if you make a double batch you will have 2C of dressing when finished. Plenty for many meals. The standard serving size for salad dressing is 2 Tbl – so 16 servings of salad dressing in a double batch.
Storage of Left Overs
As far as storage goes – the USDA would probably say that you can keep it for a few days in the fridge. When I store leftovers in my fridge I think about the individual ingredients and how long each of them store in my fridge separately. IE – olive oil stores for a long time, yogurt is in the fridge for two weeks or more… etc.
I’d recommend considering how many people you are feeding – maybe the first time you only want to make a single batch? You then can confirm how yummy the dressing is and you won’t have to worry about eating it all up right away.
When I make a double batch – I bet it’s in the fridge for a week or two.
Ingredients
Here’s a pic of all the ingredients. If you get them all out and then begin measuring etc – making the dressing is super quick.
Caesar Salad Dressing
Equipment
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 4 Cloves Garlic – Skin removed
- 3 Tbl Greek Yogurt – Plain
- 2 Tbl Parmesan Cheese – Grated Fine
- 1 Tbl Dijon Mustard – Use High Quality Mustard
- 2 Tsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 4 Anchovy Fillets
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- ½ Lemon – Juice Only
- ½ C Olive Oil – Use High Quality EVOO
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a container and use your immersion blender to mix. I made a double batch – hence why the container is so full !
- Alternately use a food processor or mince the garlic and anchovies finely and use a whisk and stir thoroughly.
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