Smoked Oyster Caesar
I get a lot of inspiration from staring at the supermarket shelves, and seeing what items are grouped together. I made this recipe because I found the smoked oysters next to the anchovies in the canned fish section and decided to try them out instead in my Caesar dressing. Once I did that, I decided to riff on the croutons a bit too. In this recipe, the smoky oysters complement the rich egg yolks, which in turn get cut by a healthy dose of lemon juice. Do you like other canned fishies? All are good Caesar salad material, providing they are packed in oil, which amps up their flavor almost to a condiment level of oomph. If you want to get real crazy, find the canned seafood section in an ethnic market.
Recipe information
Total Time
15 minutes
Yield
Serves 8 people
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, or in a blender, pulse the egg yolks, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and Worcestershire until thoroughly combined. With the machine running, add the vegetable oil very slowly to make an emulsified dressing.
Step 2
Drain the oysters from their oil, reserving 1 tablespoon of the oil for the croutons. Add the drained oysters to the dressing and pulse until smooth.
Step 3
Combine crackers, olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper with the reserved tablespoon of oyster oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, tossing often, until the crackers are toasty. Set aside to cool.
Step 4
Put a spoonful of the dressing directly onto each plate. Place a romaine heart half, face up, on the dressing, and drizzle with additional dressing. Top with croutons, cracked black pepper and cheese.
Do ahead
Step 5
Dressing can be made up to 7 days ahead. Pour into a container and keep chilled.
Recipe notes
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