For all of my life, I was totally disinterested in Caesar salad… well, at least until the other week.
How can I explain what changed? Maybe it was just the gradual accumulation of Caesar all around me, its appearance on seemingly every restaurant menu and Instagram post I came across. Maybe it’s just been my long, slow awakening to the joys of good salads. All I know is that the salad I’d always avoided because it struck me as weirdly creamy and eggy suddenly looked compelling, even chic.
One recipe offered a summer Caesar, swapping mayo for tangy Greek yoghurt. Andrea Nguyen’s recipe featured Vietnamese fish sauce. A vegetarian version used tahini in the dressing. Suddenly, I saw Caesar in a new light: adaptable and versatile, crisp and deeply savoury, a celebration of umami in myriad forms. Something that I wanted to eat – that I could even crave.
There are plenty of Caesar purists out there, but I have the benefit of no inherited dogma. I swapped the classic dressing for a green goddess version, which also has anchovies and mayo, but pairs them with Greek yoghurt and fresh herbs to summery effect. I also bulked it out with rotisserie chicken – the best shortcut to a no-cook summer dinner – and homemade croutons (though store-bought will also do the job too). The result is a salad that comes together quickly, that I know I’ll make again and again.
To complete the seasonal vibe, a glass of rosé felt like the right touch. Like the salad it pairs with, Burja Estate Roza Pinot Gris has a few surprises up its sleeves. There’s a hint of fizz, a frisson of celebration. Its irrepressible coral hue, its juicy-fruit quality – like sucking on a slightly sour, rhubarb-flavoured sweet. It’s a wine that wants to have a good time. And it’s a great choice to go with the salad that showed me Caesar could be a good time, too.
Rotisserie Chicken Caesar/Green Goddess Salad
Adapted from Samin Nosrat and Bon Appétit
Serves 4 as a main course
For the croutons (if making your own):
250g sourdough (roughly three large slices)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the dressing:
150g mayonnaise
150g Greek yoghurt
25g basil leaves
25g flat-leaf parsley leaves
20g tarragon leaves
8 anchovy fillets (from a jar of oil-packed anchovies)
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the salad:
2 large heads romaine lettuce
20g tarragon leaves
1 rotisserie chicken
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
125g shaved Parmigiano Reggiano
Anchovy fillets, to garnish (optional)
1. First, prep the croutons. Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a large baking tray with foil. Roughly tear the sourdough into craggy, 1-inch pieces. Add to the tray and drizzle over the olive oil. Toss to coat evenly and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Bake the croutons for roughly 15 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes or so, or until golden-brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
3. Next, prepare the dressing. Add the mayonnaise, yoghurt, fresh herbs, anchovy fillets and lemon zest and juice to a food processor. Blend for 1–2 minutes on high, pausing to scrape down the sides if needed, or until well-incorporated, the herbs are very finely chopped, and the mixture is light green in colour. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed; I recommend going heavy on the black pepper. Blend to combine and set aside.
4. To prepare the romaine lettuce, slice each head in half and remove and discard the stem end. Separate all of the leaves. Rinse very well and dry thoroughly, using a salad spinner or a tea towel. Next, rinse and dry the tarragon.
5. Prepare the rotisserie chicken. When cool enough to handle, use a knife to remove the breasts from the breastbone. Leave the skin on and cut into roughly 1-inch pieces. Remove meat from the thighs, leaving the skin on where possible, and roughly shred or chop. Pick any remaining meat from the carcass, discarding any bones along the way.
6. To construct the salad, add the croutons, prepared dressing, romaine lettuce, tarragon and chicken to a large bowl. Using salad spoons – or clean hands – toss until evenly combined. Taste and add any additional salt or pepper if needed.
7. Divide the salad between plates or bowls. Garnish with the shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and any additional anchovy fillets, if desired. Serve right away.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer, a beer hound and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our Natural Wine Killers wine subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings plus expert tasting notes for three amazing wines like this one every month.
