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little gem caesar salad on white plate

Caesar Little Gem Recipe

Little Gem Lettuce leaves hold all the classic flavors of a traditional Caesar salad with a kick of heat to bring it over the top.

Course Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword appetizers for parties, recipes with little gem lettuce, caesar salad recipes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 107 kcal
Author Valentina K. Wein

Ingredients

  • about 3 dozen Little Gem Lettuce leaves (about 4 heads, washed and dried)
  • about 1/2 large egg yolk (see notes)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
  • 3/4 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use less if you don’t want too much heat)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, toasted (see notes)
  • red pepper flakes
  • thinly sliced lemon for garnish

Instructions

  1. Spread the leaves out on a serving platter or small plates. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 egg yolk (don’t worry about being exact!), with the lemon juice, anchovy paste, honey, mustard, garlic and cayenne. Whisk until smooth.
  3. Then whisking constantly, very slowly, in a steady stream, add the oil. Whisk until smooth and then add the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here’s How to Season to Taste.) Set aside.
  4. Add the bread crumbs to a small sauté pan and place it over medium-low heat. Shaking the pan every minute or so, cook just until they’re golden, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
  5. Drizzle the leaves with the amount of dressing you like — I use a bit more than 1 tablespoon per dozen. Now sprinkle them with the bread crumbs evenly over the leaves. Finish with a sprinkling of the red pepper flakes — I only use a small amount as it will add a lot of heat.
  6. Garnish the platter with lemon slices and serve!

Recipe Notes

When using raw eggs, make sure they're pasteurized -- I used Safest Choice® Pasteurized Eggs.

I used gluten-free breadcrumbs for my son with Celiac -- you can use any breadcrumbs you like.