Grilled Caesar salad with sumac croutons recipe

Grilling the ingredients in this classic salad gives it a tasty twist. Plus, you won’t regret making the dressing from scratch – it’s a taste revelation! 

Our grilled Caesar salad with Sumac croutons and homemade dressing is easier to make than you may think. We recommend using an electric hand blender when making the dressing as it can take quite a lot of energy if whipping by hand! Grilling the chicken and lettuce results in a slight char, which adds lots of flavour. If you often worry when cooking chicken and want to know when it is cooked, read our complete guide here.

Although the original Caesar salad doesn’t contain anchovies, we think it is vital you include them. The anchovies add a lovely saltiness to the dressing. We used fresh anchovy fillets, these can be found at the fish counter or next to the olives in the supermarket. However anchovy fillets from a tin or jar will also work. Build the salad up even more with crispy lardons or seasonal tomatoes. Leftover chicken is delicious in these chicken taco bowls.

Ingredients

• 400g mini chicken breast fillets
• 3 baby gem lettuces, cut into quarters
• 12 fresh anchovy fillets, chopped

For the croutons:

• ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1tsp sumac
• 200g bread, torn into bite size pieces

For the dressing:

• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 60ml olive oil
• 1/2tsp Dijon mustard
• 15g grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
• Squeeze lemon juice

Method

1. Heat the over to 180C/Gas 4. To make the croutons: mix the oil and sumac in a large bowl. Toss through the bread and spread onto a baking tray. Cook for 10 mins then remove from the oven and set aside.
2. Meanwhile brush a griddle pan with oil and heat over a medium heat. Once hot add the lettuce, cook each side until charred. Set aside and add the chicken to the pan. Cook for about 2 mins on each side until cooked through.
3. To make the dressing: use an electric beater to whisk the yolk, crushed garlic , three of the anchovy fillets and 1/4tsp sea salt until thick. Slowly pour in the oil while mixing. Continue whisking until the mixture is thick. Finally mix in the mustard, parmesan, lemon juice and a grind of black pepper. Mix the chicken, lettuce and anchovies through the dressing. Arrange on the plate and scatter over the croutons and grated Parmesan.