Shortcut Caesar Salad from SF Gate...uses fish sauce instead of anchovies.
Very easy to make, except for opening the bottle of Golden Boy fish sauce. We just couldn't figure it out. Finally, dh realized the top had to be sliced off with a knife, weird.
Shortcut Caesar Salad
The secret to this delicious salad from Staff Writer Janet Fletcher is Asian fish sauce, which stands in for the more traditional anchovies. Fish sauce, like anchovies, supplies the fifth flavor — umami — to dishes. And umami can be addictive. Staffers loved this salad: "Perfect ... It's the kind of recipe I'd make all the time," "Using fish sauce makes it so easy" and "awesome" were some of the comments. After the tasting was over, nothing was left but an empty bowl — the best comment of all.
INGREDIENTS:
The Croutons:
16 baguette slices, about 1/3-inch thick
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
The Salad:
1/4 cup prepared mayonnaise
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced to a paste
Freshly ground pepper
1 pound hearts of well-chilled romaine, torn into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS: To prepare the croutons, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil on both sides, then cut each slice in half to make half-rounds. Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Put the mayonnaise in a small bowl and slowly whisk in the olive oil, lemon juice, fish sauce and garlic. Add several grinds of pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Toss the romaine with enough of the dressing to coat the leaves nicely. Add the Parmesan and croutons and toss again. Serve immediately on chilled plates.
Serves 2 to 4
http://www.sfgate.info/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2006/10/04/FDREC05.DTL
