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Ingredients
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Salad
Caesar dressing
Croutons / finishing
Method
Salad
Prepare lettuce
Wash the romaine head under cold water, drain thoroughly, and spin or pat dry. Chop or tear the leaves into roughly 2"–3" pieces and refrigerate in a bowl until ready to assemble.
Prep anchovies
Pat the Spanish white anchovy fillets dry with paper towel. Reserve 6 fillets whole for topping the salad and set 2 fillets aside to be blended into the dressing.
Croutons / toasting focaccia
Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Cut focaccia slices into 1" cubes. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter (if using) to the skillet and heat until shimmering. Add focaccia cubes in a single layer and cook, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp on all sides, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season lightly with a pinch of salt. Set aside to cool.
Caesar dressing
In a bowl or small food processor, mash 1 garlic clove with a pinch of salt to a paste. Add the egg yolk, Dijon mustard, 2 reserved anchovy fillets, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp red wine vinegar, and juice of half the lemon (about 1 tbsp). Whisk or pulse until combined.
Very slowly begin to drizzle in 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil while whisking vigorously (or while the processor runs) to create an emulsion. Continue until all oil is incorporated and the dressing is thick and glossy. Taste and season with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more lemon juice if desired. If the dressing is too thick, whisk in 1–2 tsp water to loosen.
Assemble
Place the prepared romaine in a large serving bowl. Add 3/4 of the toasted focaccia croutons and toss with about half the dressing to coat (start with 2–3 tbsp and add more to taste). Add more dressing as needed so leaves are lightly and evenly coated, but not saturated.
Scatter the remaining croutons on top. Shingle the reserved whole Spanish white anchovy fillets over the salad. Grate or shave about 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the salad and sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup Parmesan shavings for garnish.
Finish with a squeeze of the remaining lemon half to brighten. Serve immediately so croutons remain crisp.