This post is a recipe for my “Jughandle’s Modified Caesar Salad” that I think you’re going to like. The modification is a substitution of limes for lemons and I use a tablespoon of mayo instead of a raw egg for the emulsifying element of the dish. Let me know what you think.
Jughandle
Jughandle's Modified Caesar Salad

Ingredients
For The Salad:
- 10 cup (470 g) Romaine Lettuce about 3 small heads torn into bite sized pieces
- 2 oz (56.7 g) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese grated
- black pepper in a grinder
For The Dressing:
- 1/3 cup (72 g) olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60.5 g) lime juice or the juice of 2-3 limes more if needed
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) Tabasco sauce
- 1 Tbsp (1 Tbsp) mayonnaise
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) anchovy paste or 2 anchovy fillets
- 1 clove (1 clove) garlic pressed
- Kosher salt As needed
- 1 (1) lime cut into half
For The Croutons
- 4 pc (4 pc) white bread stale bread is best cut into cubes for croutons
- 1/4 cup (54 g) Olive oil
- 1 clove (1 clove) garlic pressed
Instructions
For The Salad:
- Clean and dry the lettuce. Retain 4-8 whole leaves to use in the individual serving bowls.
For The Croutons:
- in a small bowl pour 1/4 cup of olive oil and press in 1 clove of garlic.
- Cut the bread or baguette into 1/2 inch cubes. Put the cubes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil and garlic mixture over the cubes. Toss to coat
- spread the coated cubes on a baking sheet and toast on broil setting in the oven until brown. Don't walk away, they will burn.
- Make the croutons again if you burned them.
- Set them aside
For The Dressing:
- In a large wooden salad bowl pour 1/2 of Olive oil in the bottom. Drop in the worcestershire sauce, Tabasco Sauce and 2 oz of lime juice.
- mix briskly with a whisk.
- At the edge of the oil, put the dab of mayo, next to it the pressed garlic and anchovy paste or fillet.
- Take 1/2 of the lime you cut and using it as a mixer or muddling tool, mix the solid ingredients into the liquids. Press the open face of the lime against the mayo, garlic and anchovy rubbing them on to the bottom of the bowl while mixing with the liquid.
- When you've done all the mixing you can, squeeze the lime into the mixture, add a pinch of salt and finish blending with your whisk.
- Take one of the Romaine leaves and dip into the dressing and taste. If it tastes too oily add more lime. If it needs salt add some and taste again.
Assemble The Salad:
- When the dressing tastes right, add the torn romaine, the croutons and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat thoroughly.
- Either at the table or in the kitchen, divide the retained whole romaine leaves among the individual serving bowls. Place a serving of salad on each and sprinkle a little more parmesan on them.
- When the guests get their bowl, ask them if they would like black pepper on the salad and either grind the pepper mill for them or pass the mill so they can do their own.