Grilled Whole Caesar Salad Recipe

Preheat and prepare bacon

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Arrange bacon slices in a single layer on the rack. Bake 12–18 minutes until crisp to your preference. Remove, transfer to paper towels to drain and cool, then roughly chop into 1-inch pieces. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat (or use olive oil) for dressing if desired.

While bacon bakes, halve the lemon; reserve one half for finishing and juice the other half for the dressing.

Make grilled-style Caesar dressing

In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice (about 2 tbs), finely chopped anchovy fillets (4), grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/4 cup), black pepper and salt. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil until emulsified. Taste and adjust salt/lemon. If you reserved bacon fat and want a smoky note, whisk in up to 1 tsp cooled bacon fat. Set aside.

Prepare lettuce

Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high (about 450°F / 230°C). Remove any loose outer leaves from the romaine hearts, keeping the core intact so each heart holds together. Slice each heart lengthwise through the core to produce two longitudinal halves. Pat cut surfaces dry.

Brush and season

Brush the cut surfaces lightly with 1–2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle each with a light pinch of kosher salt and a grind of black pepper. Do not oversalt — salt on cut lettuce concentrates flavor.

Grill romaine

Place cut-side down on the hot grill or grill pan. Grill 2–3 minutes without moving, until well-marked and lightly charred. Flip and grill the outer side 1–2 minutes just to warm. Remove and transfer grilled halves to a serving platter.

Dress the grilled romaine

Spoon or brush a few tablespoons of the dressing over the cut surfaces of each grilled romaine half (about 1–2 tbs per half). Use more or less to taste but reserve some dressing for guests to add if desired.

Top with bacon, croutons, anchovies & cheese

Scatter chopped bacon pieces evenly over the dressed romaine halves. Add croutons (press a few into the cut surfaces so they stick), and arrange remaining whole or halved anchovy fillets across the lettuce for presentation. Shave or grate 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano over everything. Finish with a squeeze of the remaining lemon half and a final crack of black pepper.

Serve immediately while lettuce is warm and slightly wilted. Provide extra dressing at the table. Leftover dressing keeps refrigerated up to 3 days.