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Fried Lemon Caesar Salad Recipe

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Fried Lemon Caesar Salad is full of beautiful fried lemon slices and makes for a delicious Caesar Salad with a unique, fun twist. It’s a lovely appetizer salad, and you can add chicken and turn it into a hearty main course.Fried Lemon Caesar Salad on a red plate.It might be a stretch to call my Fried Lemon Caesar Salad a twist on the classic, but that’s what I’m doing. I took most of the lemon out of the dressing and added that lovely flavor with fried lemon slices in the salad itself.

Fried lemon slices are delicious. The lemons caramelize, making them sweeter and less pungent, but still quite lemon-y.

Large white plate full of lemon slices.Fried Lemons

Frying citrus almost doesn’t seem like a natural thing to do, but it’s actually quite remarkable.

They have an added layer of flavor, and it’s sweet. When they’re fried, the sour, tart lemons caramelize, bringing all of the natural sugars to the surface. They’ll still be sour and tart, of course, but the sweetness rounds the flavor out a bit.

Fried Meyer Lemons in a cast iron skillet.How to Fry Lemons

  • Choose the right lemon. Ideally, you want a thin-skinned, seedless lemon. While you can use any lemons for this recipe, Meyers are preferable because their skin is thinner than most other lemons. Fried lemons are better with a thin skin because too much of the pith (the white part between the skin and the fruit), won’t taste as good, and doesn’t look as appealing. Most lemons have at least a few seeds — the fewer the better so the slices stay more intact.
  • Season with salt, pepper and sugar. The pepper will add flavor, while both the salt and sugar will help brighten the natural flavor of the lemon.
  • The pan should be very hot. Treat the lemon slices like ahi tuna you want to sear. The hotter the pan is when the lemon hits it, the more likely it is to get a beautiful, golden caramelization on the surface.
  • This is a quick process. We only want to quickly brown the lemons — if they’re in the hot pan for too long, they’ll become mushy. We’re not actually cooking them, just browning them. Again, think of the seared ahi tuna.

Close up of Fried Lemon Caesar Salad on a red plateMy cousin laughed the other day when I asked her if she’d like any “citrus.” I could have been more specific I suppose, but in my mind, citrus may as well be its own food group!

Inspiration

Blood oranges, Satsumas, Sumos, Pixies, limes and lemons are constantly inspiring me. I love them and I’m always working these fantastic and delicious fruits into my recipes.

Oh, and Lemon-Garlic Croutons are also part of what make this Fried Lemon Caesar Salad so good.

Lemon Garlic Roasted Croutons in a ceramic baking dish with the top of a lemon with stemFried Lemon Caesar Salad is one of my favorite citrus creations.

I hope you love it!

5 from 15 votes
Fried Lemon Caesar Salad on a red plate.
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Fried Meyer Lemon Ceasar Salad Recipe
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
2 mins
Total Time
27 mins
 

Fried Lemon Caesar Salad is full of beautiful fried lemon slices and makes for a delicious Caesar salad with a unique, fun twist. It's a lovely appetizer salad, and you can add chicken and turn it into a hearty main course.

*Please note that the "prep time" does not include making the croutons -- click croutons in the ingredient list for those instructions.

Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: pretty salads, unique salad recipes
Servings: 6
Calories: 289 kcal
Author: Valentina K. Wein
Ingredients
For the fried lemons
  • 2 lemons (preferably Meyer lemons)
  • salt, granulated sugar and freshly ground black pepper
  • olive oil
For the dressing
  • 5 anchovies, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
Instructions
For the fried lemons

  1. Wash, dry, and thinly slice the lemons -- placing them on a large plate as you go. You should get about 8 slices per lemon, and they should be about 1/8-inch thick.

  2. Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil, place it over medium-high heat. While the pan is preheating, sprinkle both sides of the lemon slices with salt, pepper and sugar. This should be a light sprinkling, but enough to season each slice well.

  3. Once the pan is very hot, add the lemon slices and sauté until the bottoms are golden brown, about 1 minute. Use a tiny spatula to gently flip the slices, and brown the other side, about 30 seconds. Place the sautéed lemons slices on a plate to cool. Set aside.

  4. Once cooled, cut each sautéd lemon slice into fourths -- you can stack a few at a time to do this. Set aside.

For the dressing

  1. In a small bowl, combine the anchovies, garlic, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and honey. Mix to blend. Gradually, pour in the oil, whisking all the while to blend it evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)

For the salad
  1. In a large salad bowl, mix the lettuce with the Lemon-Garlic Croutons, Parmesan and the fried lemons.
  2. Just before you're ready to serve, toss the salad with the dressing.

 

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Comments

  6. Chocolate Lady says

    Thank you for sharing this salad recipe featuring fried lemon slices! What a marvelous idea! I just discovered you ~ and so happy I did!

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Thank you! I hope you try the salad — I just love cooking with lemons. So happy you found my site, too. 🙂

      Reply

  15. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says

    I love caesar salad, especially those made at home – the best! I’ve never fried lemons before, but I do love ’em and another way to enjoy is never a bad thing 😉 Bet they add such brightness and flavours to this salad. Can’t wait to give this a go! You’re totally making me crave this for breakfast right now 🙂

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Well if you’re craving salad for breakfast, I know I’ve done my job well. She says while she sips her coffee and eats cookies. 😀 Have a great day, Dawn, and thanks!

      Reply

  17. nancy says

    This salad SO HAS MY name written all over it! I adore citrus and caramelized citrus? Oh my! I am adding this to my dinner rotation ASAP – definitely a winner in our house!!

    Reply

  18. Ron says

    Who doesn’t love a good salad and Caeser? It’s likely my favorite salad. Carmalized lemon slices in a Caeser sounds wonderful as well as being a brilliant idea. Your dressing recipe looks divine. What’s a Ceaser without anchovies? Not a Ceaser in my book. Can’t wait to give this a try.

    Reply

  19. David @ Spiced says

    Frying up those lemons totally counts as a twist on the classic recipe, Valentina! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that done before. I love tossing citrus on the grill, so it makes sense that I would like ’em fried up, too. This sounds like a wonderful flavor, and I’ll have to keep it in mind for sure. Also, that salad looks awesome!

    Reply

  22. Kathryn says

    What a great idea Valentina. I have crystallised but never fried lemons. As I have a lovely Myer Lemon Tree I will enjoy venturing out and adding a few ‘fried lemons’ to my dishes. Very innovative!

    Reply

  24. David says

    The fried lemons sound amazing, Valentina! I will definitely try this – and I love Caesar salad (sans garlic, natch!). Did you know the original Caesar had no garlic in the dressing? Only the bowl was rubbed with garlic. I was rather astonished to learn that!

    Reply

    • valentina says

      I do think I’ve heard that — I like it! Enjoy frying lemons and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend.

      Reply

  27. Leona Barnett says

    Just wondering if you can fry the lemons ahead of time. Looking forward to having a new way to use my Meyer lemon crop

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Hi Leona, I wouldn’t do this too far ahead because the lemons will become soggy. I think 30 min. ahead is all I’d do. Though, if you don’t mind a soggy appearance, they will still taste great! Thanks for visiting and checking out the recipe. Cheers!

      Reply

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