Does a Ceasar salad has to contain chicken? Not at all. The original salad was invented in Tijuana, Mexico in 1924, and you know what? It contained neither chicken nor anchovies. Ceasar Cardini is said to be the one who invented the dressing. He was an Italien immigrant who operated restaurants both in Mexico and the USA. Many in Ceasar’s staff claimed, however, that they were the real inventor.
Of course, there’s a legend attached to this dish. The restaurant was running low on supplies during a busy weekend. A minor catastrophe with other words was lurking around the corner. Ceasar didn’t want to disappoint his customers and concocted the salad with what was on hand. The rest is food history.
In this recipe, I have chosen to serve the salad together with marinated fried shrimps. I will not claim that the dressing is made according to the original recipe. But I think I can call it a Ceasar salad. It’s close enough.
I’m living in the inland, so it’s sometimes hard to get fresh shellfish. So I had to content myself with frozen shrimps. But that’s OK as long as they are raw. Just thaw the shrimps slowly and carefully in the refrigerator, and you will hardly notice any difference.
When the shrimp has thawed completely, it’s time to put them in the marinade. It’s a simple marinade consisting solely of olive oil, grated garlic, and parsley. It doesn’t have too much taste that will compete with the salad dressing.
As mentioned before, the dressing is not according to the original recipe because it contains anchovies. But I don’t care. I want anchovies in my Ceasar dressing. Maybe Ceasar wanted that too. Remember that he was short on supplies that weekend.
The good thing about this recipe is that you can prepare the dressing, croutons, and just fry the shrimps a few minutes just before you serve it. It’s the perfect starter or lunch. But you can also serve it as a main course if you load it with lots of shrimps.
To me, this dish became a favorite already after the first bite. I didn’t miss the chicken at all. The shrimps with a hint of garlic and freshness from squeezed lemon were excellent partners to the taste loaded dressing. A dish that makes you happy. And you will not be less happy if you drink a glass of chardonnay to it.
Lies are like anchovies in a Caesar salad. You may not be able to see them, but your soul knows they are there.
Molly Friedenfeld
Ceasar salad with marinated fried shrimps
Ingredients
Shrimps
- 10 oz raw shrimps
- 6 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsely
- 1 lemon in wedges
Salad
- 1 head romaine salad
- 1 red onion sliced in rings
- croutons
- parmesan cheese, grated
Dressing
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 anchovies fillet
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Mix oil, grated garlic, and parsley for a marinade in a plastic bag. Add the shrimp, mix well and let stand in refrigerator at least one hour.
- Whisk egg yolks with the vinegar, mustard, and finely chopped anchovies. Add oil slowly while whisking. It's the same procedure as if you were doing a mayonnaise. Add the finely grated parmesan and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a very small amount of water if the consistency is too thick.
- Tear lettuce leaves into small pieces and divide on plates. Drizzle the dressing over the lettuce and add some croutons. Add onion rings and grated parmesan on top.
- Fry the shrimps in a hot skillet for 2 minutes on each side.
- Serve the fried shrimps with the salad and lemon wedges.