Grilled Baby Gem Lettuce Salad
This is my new favorite variation on Caesar salad… grilled baby gem lettuce with an umami-rich anchovy vinaigrette and lemony garlic breadcrumbs. I’m obsessed with grilling lettuces like baby gem, endive, radicchio… I just love that textural contrast and slight charry flavor. Try it out and let me know what you think.
Grilled Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 4 heads of Baby Gem Lettuce, outer leaves cleaned away and root end trimmed, halved
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 4-5 anchovy filets, and some of its oil if you use oil-packed filets
- 1 heaping teaspoon minced shallots
- 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
Garnish
- Lemony breadcrumbs
- Coarsely grated Reggiano parmesan
Instructions
Brush the lettuce with oil and grill over high very direct heat for a moment or two to briefly char. Plate the lettuce head halves.
Drizzle with the vinaigrette and season with the breadcrumbs and parmesan.
Make the vinaigrette
Place the anchovies mustard, shallots, and some ground black pepper in a mortar and pestle. Combined to a coarse paste, drizzle in olive oil to emulsify and finish by seasoning with the lemon juice and vinegar.
If your emulsion is tasty but a tad thicker than you like, thin it with a teaspoon or two of cool water.
