Lemon Caesar Recipe

Prepare lettuce and lemon

Wash and thoroughly dry the romaine lettuce. Chop or tear into 2–3 inch pieces and place in a large salad bowl. Zest one lemon to yield 1 tsp zest and juice lemons to measure 3 tablespoons. Reserve until dressing assembly.

Slice the piparra peppers into thin rings or strips. Set aside a few nice rings for plating. In a small bowl, stir the Calabrian chili paste with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to loosen it; this will be used as a spicy drizzle. Taste and adjust the heat—use more or less paste depending on desired spice level.

Make pecorino-almond crumble

Preheat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the smoked whole almonds and toast, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until fragrant and warmed through. Add 1 teaspoon neutral oil and continue to toast 30 seconds more to promote browning, then remove from heat. Allow almonds to cool slightly and roughly chop to coarse crumbs. In a bowl, combine chopped smoked almonds, 1 cup grated pecorino, and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust salt if necessary (remember pecorino is salty). Set aside.

Build dressing

In a food processor or using an immersion blender, combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 4 anchovy fillets (drain and roughly chop), 1 smashed garlic clove (remove germ if desired), 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Purée until smooth. If thicker texture is preferred, pulse less; for a thinner dressing, add the reserved water 1 tablespoon at a time (total up to 2 tablespoons) until desired consistency is reached. Taste and season with salt to taste, keeping in mind the anchovies and pecorino add saltiness.

Dress the lettuce: Add 3/4 of the dressing to the bowl with the prepared romaine and toss gently but thoroughly to coat. Add more dressing if desired, reserving a bit for plating.

Plate and top: Divide dressed lettuce among 4 plates (servings). Scatter the smoked almond–pecorino crunch evenly over the top of each portion to provide texture. Add the sliced piparras and the reserved rings for visual appeal.

Finish with Calabrian drizzle and olive oil: Using a spoon, dot or streak the Calabrian chili–olive oil mixture over each plate (about 1/4 tsp per serving) for a bright spicy accent. Finish each salad with a light drizzle (about 1/4 tsp) of extra-virgin olive oil and a few grinds of black pepper. If desired, shave an extra tablespoon of pecorino over the top.

Serve immediately so lettuce remains crisp. Leftover dressing keeps refrigerated up to 3 days; keep crunch separate and re-toast almonds briefly before using if storing longer.