Caesar salads are one of my favorite meals. I love the crunchy lettuce and the tangy dressing with a big burst of umami. It’s light-yet-filling and truly addictive. When I want to put a fun twist on it, this Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad recipe always wows my dinner guests. The lettuce chars and adds a slightly bitter edge that plays so well against the creamy (totally fish-free!) homemade Caesar dressing. Trust me, your taste buds will be dancing!
I could eat Caesar salad for every meal. Instead of using giant croutons in this grilled version, I toast up some panko I already had on hand. The crispy panko clings to every piece of lettuce thanks to my addictive vegetarian Caesar dressing (which can be made vegan if you use a vegan mayo!) And to keep the dressing fish-free, I swap out anchovies for seaweed sheets, which can be found in the snack aisle nowadays, even at Walmart! You still get a little bit of that classic ocean flavor without the fishiness, if that’s not your thing.
This grilled Caesar salad takes a little extra effort than opening up a bottle of storebought dressing and chopping up some regular ol’ romaine lettuce, but the grilled romaine is perfect for summertime. You’re going to have to trust me on this one!!
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Gather your ingredients and preheat your grill.
Grill the romaine hearts: Slice 2 heads of romaine lettuce in half, leaving the root intact but trimmed. Make sure to dry it very well after rinsing. Brush the cut sides of the romaine with oil (1 tsp total).
Sear the romaine on a very hot grill to get some color, about 3 minutes total. It will take longer for the grill marks to form if your grill isn’t very hot.
Move the lettuce to the fridge to cool as you prep the dressing and sides.
Toast the panko: Toast ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs in a pan with 1 Tbsp salted butter and 1 tsp olive oil.
When the panko is browned and toasted, remove it from the heat. This is what I use instead of traditional croutons in this recipe for grilled Caesar salad! The toasted panko clings to the lettuce leaves, so every bit is a texture party.
I just want to highlight the amount of cheese you can get when you grate it yourself! Just the tip of that block of Parmesan yielded 1 cup of shredded Parmesan (and you only need ½ cup total for this recipe!). Pretty budget-friendly (and no weird preservatives or anti-caking agents) compared to the pre-shredded options.
Make the dressing: Add 1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup lemon juice, 2 large cloves garlic (minced), 1 Tbsp mellow white miso, 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp sea salt, 2 tsp granulated sugar, ½ cup water, and ¼ cup olive oil to a blender. Don’t add the seaweed yet!
Now blend the dressing ingredients until completely smooth.
Add the seaweed: Crumble ½ package seaweed sheets into the dressing and mix to combine.
Assemble the salad: Retrieve your grilled romaine hearts from the fridge and drizzle each wedge with ¼ cup dressing each (you will have some dressing leftover for other salads!), plenty of toasted panko, Everything Bagel mix (1 Tbsp total), and the remaining ½ package seaweed sheets. Top with ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan and enjoy!
Considering you’ve already got the grill on, you may as well make the most of it! Turn this into a grilled chicken Caesar by adding some grilled chicken breasts, or try grilled tofu or grilled shrimp for something different. The panko already adds great crunch, but I bet some crumbled oven-cooked bacon (or a vegetarian alternative) would be tasty added on top. If you’ve got some pickled red onions hanging out in the fridge, throw them on top of your grilled Caesar salad, too!
The grilled romaine is best enjoyed the day it’s made since it will soften and wilt the longer it’s stored. The vegetarian Caesar dressing, however, can be made ahead and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-7 days. Give it a stir before using again.
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