How to properly and tasty prepare a classic Caesar

It is important to know that the taste of Caesar salad depends on the ingredients. In order for the salad to have an incredible taste, you need to select the products that go into it accordingly.

The most important component of Caesar salad is cheese. According to the classic and most basic recipe, Parmesan cheese is added to the salad. With this cheese, the salad seems to be the most delicious. Parmesan has a delicate taste with a hint of hazelnut. Moreover, this type of cheese is universal, as it is often included in pizza, desserts and other salads.

What cheese to add to Caesar salad if there is no Parmesan

If Parmesan is not found in stores or the price for it is not at all pleasing, then do not despair, because some other types of cheeses also go perfectly with Caesar.

Hard Grana Padano cheese. This cheese is very similar in taste to Parmesan, as it also has a delicate structure with a nutty flavor. These two cheeses are often compared, often people prefer Grana Padano due to its lower price. This is why this cheese is a good equivalent for Caesar salad.
Gouda cheese. This cheese also has a very similar taste to Parmesan, but it is softer. This type of cheese is also incredibly suitable for salad, especially since it has the same sweetish flavor as Parmesan.
As another substitute, you can use regular Russian or Dutch cheese. However, the structure of this cheese is not particularly suitable for Caesar salad, so before adding the cheese to the salad, it needs to sit in the refrigerator without packaging so that it acquires the proper consistency.
Cheddar.
Edam.
Pecorino.
Gruyere.
Feta.
Mozzarella.

Features of Parmesan

This cheese is somewhat different from other hard varieties. Firstly, it is not covered with a waxy layer - the crust on it matures naturally, so the cheese does not need to be removed before “entering” the dish. Secondly, its structure is fragile, granular and brittle, and therefore, when melted, the cheese forms an even crust and does not stretch in threads. So if the dish you are about to prepare requires exactly this type of melting, you don’t even have to raise the question of what to replace Parmesan with: any other cheese will “stretch.”

Thirdly, this Italian product goes perfectly with fruits (pears, grapes, kiwi, peaches, figs, apples). You can probably find something to replace Parmesan in fruit salads, but you’ll have to experiment and try. And for an exquisite delicacy - cheese in chocolate - you will definitely have to fork out for the original: nothing else will simply suit your taste.

How to choose a good and tasty Parmesan cheese

The birthplace of Parmesan is Italy, so the best Parmesan cheese is made there. You can also take cheese originally from France. Obviously, it is rare to see Parmesan produced in these European countries on the shelves of the Russian market. Don’t be discouraged, because equally delicious Parmesan cheese is made in Armenia. Cheese from Armenia is a more affordable and high-quality equivalent of the original Parmesan. As a last resort, there are also Russian-made cheeses, but you need to understand that they taste completely different from the original.

Benefits of Parmesan

Any cheese is healthy, as it provides proteins with a low fat content. Parmesan is no exception in this regard. Moreover, it contains extremely necessary acids, and in terms of the amount of vitamins it will “outperform” even complex pharmaceutical preparations. The difference from other types of cheese is that Parmesan is extremely low in calories. And if you are watching your pounds, looking for what cheese to replace Parmesan is not your way. You won't find such a dietary product. In addition, butyrylic acid (a substance that promotes the breakdown of fats) is also found only in Parmesan.

How to prepare Caesar salad

Everything is clear with the salad components. Now you have to figure out how to prepare the salad:

The first step is always to make flavorful croutons for the salad. Before you put the bread, cut into squares, into the oven, you need to add the sauce, which is easily made from a crushed clove of garlic and olive oil. It is important to note that the crackers should not have crusts; they must be cut off.
The next thing to tackle is the chicken. It is important to rinse it thoroughly and dry it. Next, cut into two or three parts and start frying in a frying pan until golden brown. This may take seven to ten minutes. After frying, cool the chicken and cut it into cubes.
Next item is romaine or iceberg lettuce. The branches should be rinsed well under water and allowed to dry. After this, you don’t need to cut the leaves, but rather tear them apart so that they crunch nicely in the salad.
Next, add the remaining ingredients to the salad. Tomatoes should be cut in half, grated cheese and added to the salad in a thin layer.
Then add the sauce and stir the salad.

What's in a classic Caesar salad?

This salad, on the one hand, is a real work of culinary art. On the other hand, the question of what to replace Parmesan in Caesar (or some other component) gives rise to real battles between traditionalists and experimenters. First, let’s define what a real proper Caesar consists of.

Garlic. The plate should be smeared with it - for aroma, but without bitterness and subsequent “exhaust” from the gourmet’s mouth.
Romaine lettuce". For lining a plate.
An egg that was cooked for exactly a minute and remained virtually liquid.
Olive oil must be cold and only first pressed.
Parmesan. Rub finely and pour onto salad leaves sprinkled with oil.
Lemon juice squeezed directly into the salad.
Croutons are like tiny croutons, first fried and then dried in the oven.
Worcestershire sauce - just a few drops.

On the one hand, it would seem that there is nothing particularly complicated. On the other hand, there is only a certain type of salad, the egg is usually overcooked, croutons resemble ordinary crackers... And where can you get Parmesan and the notorious sauce?

How to make Caesar salad dressing

Undoubtedly, the most important ingredient in a Caesar salad is the sauce, as it has always had its own special dressing:

You should take chicken eggs and cool them to room temperature to start. Then cook them for one minute and separate the yolk from the white.
At this time, you need to chop the garlic with a knife, and then grind the garlic, mustard and egg yolks until smooth.
After the consistency has become homogeneous, add lemon juice, as well as salt and olive oil.

It is important to constantly stir the sauce, and then it will be simply excellent!

Everyone loves Caesar salad, so it is so important to know how to prepare it correctly in order to please not only yourself, but also your guests.

Caesar salad is one of the most common salads; you can try it in any restaurant.

As many chefs as there are so many tastes, the recipe for this salad can be found in different variations and it is difficult to determine which recipe is a classic and which is a culinary fantasy.

One of the required ingredients of this salad is cheese.

What kind of cheese is added to Caesar?

In the classic Caesar salad recipe, only Parmesan cheese is used, and it is not grated, but cut into thin slices.

This is a hard Italian cheese with a spicy taste.

According to one of the most popular versions, Caesar salad was invented by Caesar Cardini, the owner of the Caesar's Place hotel and restaurant in the Mexican town of Tijuana, 20 miles from San Diego.

On July 4, 1924, US Independence Day, there were especially many visitors to Caesar's Place - businessmen and Hollywood stars. Tequila flowed like a river, and food supplies began to run out.

It was then that Cardini first prepared a salad “from what was on hand” - romaine lettuce, eggs, croutons, Parmesan, olive oil.

“The Chef’s Dish” - Caesar salad, simply created a sensation among the visitors - they had definitely never tried anything like this before!

If you want to cook a real Caesar with cheese, then you need to find hard Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese in the store.

If you were unable to buy Parmesan cheese, then hard cheeses are suitable for Caesar salad:

Grana Padano
Peccorino
Gouda
Gruyere
Cheddar
Edam
Swiss, Soviet, Altai, Carpathian, Kuban

The rest all depends on your imagination.

Some housewives add feta cheese or even mozzarella and parmesan cheese balls to Caesar.

Experiment, try and discover new tastes!

Very often, Caesar salad, so beloved by many, is associated with the figure of Ancient Rome, Gaius Julius Caesar. But this is a myth. The classic dish was invented in the 19th century by an Italian living in the United States, Caesar Cardini. When his restaurant ran out of ingredients for the then famous dishes, he decided to experiment and made an appetizer from lettuce, boiled eggs, Parmesan cheese, and toasted croutons. Season the ingredients with garlic oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with vinegar. The guests of the establishment liked the new dish so much that it soon became the chef’s signature dish.

The original recipe that Cardini came up with included grated Parmesan cheese. However, today the methods of preparation have changed, as well as the ingredients included in the traditional Caesar. In order not to spoil the taste of the dish, it is recommended to grate real hard European or Russian cheeses on a fine grater. It is best to use “Cheddar”, “Swiss”, “Cuban”, “Gouda”, “Gruyère”. Some chefs get creative and add grated feta cheese, mozzarella, fetax or cheese balls. It all depends on preferences and taste preferences.

Depending on the type of cheese, the taste of the salad also changes. For example, regular Parmesan adds piquancy and originality to the salad. Fetaxa or mozzarella have more delicate notes, so the salad turns out soft and juicy. It must be remembered that all types of hard cheeses have a salty, pleasant taste and a slightly nutty aftertaste. Therefore, any gourmet will choose the right cheese variety for himself: from softer sweet and salty varieties to spicy, rich types.

Some specific types of cheeses will help make Caesar salad taste especially refined. For example, it is better to grate Gruyère into a real Caesar salad with chicken; traditional Parmesan and Cheddar are combined with seafood products. These are interesting products with a specific smell and original taste. “Grana Podano” is a unique type of cheese that can easily replace traditional “Parmesan”. Its sweet, nutty and pleasant aroma will give the dish that very zest. Cheese goes well with other salad products. Also, how the cheese is served is important. At home, the easiest way is to grate cream cheese. In restaurants and cafes, the product is often placed in slices. The cheese also opens up interestingly when cut into medium cubes.

Caesar salad: 5 New Year's salad recipes

Today we will talk about the famous salad with the loud name “Caesar”. This creation attracts the attention of many culinary experts around the world, and it would be disrespectful to leave it aside.

The creator of the salad is an American chef with Italian roots - Caesar Cardini. Having come up with his culinary work, Cardini could not have imagined how popular it would become. As the Caesar legend goes, the cook ran out of the necessary ingredients for another main course at the worst possible moment - when a wave of customers arrived. Being an ambitious person by nature, Cardini was not at a loss and prepared a salad from the ingredients left in the kitchen. The dish was received with praise, and subsequently became one of the most popular salads in many parts of the world.

Useful tips

Since Caesar salad cheese is the main indispensable product, you need to know how to choose it correctly. Don't let the name on the label mislead you. As a rule, good hard cheese is not cheap. Therefore, when choosing, first of all, you need to pay attention to the price of the product. Secondly, when purchasing, be careful and check the expiration date. Such varieties should not be stored for more than six months. It is very important. Otherwise, the dish may not only be spoiled, but there is also a chance of poisoning. Today it is difficult to find real French, Italian or Swiss cheeses in domestic stores. Most likely, under their guise they are selling a fake. It is better if you purchase analogues of these cheeses. In particular, cheeses from Armenia are also considered elite types of hard product.

When you choose a variety of your choice, you should know when to add it to the salad during the step-by-step preparation process. Typically, the grated or sliced ingredient is added at the end of cooking. They decorate the dish. That is, cheese is sprinkled on top. However, in some restaurants the component is cut into cubes and served mixed with nuts and other ingredients. As practice shows, it is not so important how to add cheese to a salad, but it is important to know which varieties are combined with meat and vegetable products that are part of the classic Caesar.

The four main ingredients of a Caesar salad are chicken breasts, Parmesan cheese, white bread croutons and anchovies. The latter are used in a dressing, the original composition of which has never been fully revealed. However, it is known that it traditionally also includes mustard, Worcestershire sauce, egg yolk and olive oil.

What cheese should I add to Caesar?

According to the classic recipe, only Parmesan is added to Caesar salad. It is not grated, but cut into thin slices and placed on top of the salad.

Hard Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese has a piquant taste, so it adds a special taste to the salad.

Why Parmesan?

One of the most popular legends about why Caesar Cardini, the creator of the salad, began to add Parmesan to the salad is the story about July 4, 1924, US Independence Day. That day there were so many people at Caesar's Place that food supplies were running low and Cardini made his first salad using what was on hand: romaine lettuce, eggs, croutons, olive oil and Parmesan. This dish from the chef created a real sensation among visitors, and the salad became a real legend.

If you want to experiment, add one or more of these hard cheeses to your salad:

Grana
Padano
Peccorino
Gouda
Gruyere
Cheddar
Edam
Swiss
Soviet
Altaic
Carpathian
Kubansky

Caesar salad, like every popular dish, has its own history. And, as often happens, his appearance was due to chance.

Once upon a time, after World War I, two brothers, Caesar and Alex Cardini, emigrated from Italy to the United States. Later, in the Mexican town of Tijuana, located right on the border, they opened a small hotel with a restaurant, Caesar's. This allowed them to bypass the strict Prohibition Law and treat guests to excellent booze. As legend has it, on Independence Day, July 4, 1924, the hotel was full of guests and food supplies were running low. Then Caesar had to look for a way out of the situation, and he decided, as an experiment, to create a new dish from what was in the kitchen. The ingredients used were eggs cooked in a special way, lettuce, bread, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and garlic. Caesar rubbed the plates with garlic, placed lettuce on them, added eggs (the eggs were immersed in boiling water for exactly 1 minute, resulting in an ideal base for dressing), lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil, and generously sprinkled garlic croutons on top. .

Today, this salad in a variety of variations is present on the menu of almost all restaurants and cafes, however, over time, the classic recipe has undergone significant changes and the salad has received new ingredients. Perhaps the most popular variations are Caesar with chicken breast and shrimp. It would seem that preparing such a salad is quite simple, but “Caesar” also has its secrets.

How and what is replaced in Caesar

It is not for nothing that our people are respected throughout the world for their intelligence. His interpretations allow you to get the intended result with a minimum of effort.

Garlic is not spread on a plate - its juice is squeezed out onto croutons or into a dressing.
No one is looking for romaine leaves - any lettuce is taken, or even
Eggs are put into our Caesar salad raw: they are beaten with olive oil.
It’s not a problem to squeeze it out, but our chefs, again, add it to the sauce.
Croutons are just a name. Instead, crackers from bags are quite suitable (it is still advisable to dry them yourself).
The main question is “What can you replace Parmesan in Caesar?!” - is decided at the discretion of everyone. Many experimental chefs claim that the best substitute would be cheeses like Altaisky or Sovetsky.

The only thing that cannot be replaced is Worcestershire sauce. Considering that it contains 26 components, this is not surprising. So you still have to look for it - it is, of course, more rare than Parmesan. We have already told you how to replace this cheese.

A classic simple Caesar salad with chicken and croutons is suitable for any table, but more often we prepare it for the holiday. The recipe for Caesar salad with chicken is very exquisite - golden croutons made from white bread, bright cherry halves and tender chicken meat look very picturesque among the lush lettuce leaves. Grated Parmesan completes the picture, and the light garlic smell tempts and beckons. It is not necessary to add all the ingredients that you are used to seeing in a classic Caesar salad.

A simple Caesar salad with chicken has a full taste and aroma; many believe that adding eggs and other products only disrupts the harmony. The easiest way to dress Caesar salad is with the store-bought sauce of the same name. Nowadays, Caesar is prepared according to various new recipes, but the basis of this dish is all the same ingredients from which the first version of this salad was prepared by restaurateur Cardini.

We are talking about crackers/croutons, lettuce, cheese and sauce. Let's look at how to choose the right main ingredients and how to prepare a classic simple Caesar salad.

Chicken Caesar - a delicious salad recipe. In 1924, restaurateur Caesar Cardini found himself in an unpleasant situation: his establishment had a large influx of visitors, so almost all the food was quickly eaten. And this is how he got out. It is unlikely that the author of the classic Caesar salad, an American chef of Italian origin, Caesar Cardini, could have imagined that his work would be so famous throughout the world.

The classic version of this salad includes green leaves, croutons, a special sauce based on egg and lemon juice with the addition of mustard and garlic, as well as Parmesan cheese as an ingredient.

Later, chicken meat was added to the main products. You can prepare Caesar salad with chicken, a classic simple recipe at home, in a variety of variations. This will be a great dish for an everyday or holiday table. An amazing combination of ingredients allows you to enjoy each product in the composition, but at the same time feel the overall symphony of taste. So, it’s time to move on from words to action. In this article we will present a variety of variations of preparing a delicious homemade Caesar.

Dressing is the basis of the perfect Caesar

Rich sauce, also known as dressing, is considered one of the main components of the salad, which guarantees an exquisite taste. The consistency of the dressing resembles liquid mayonnaise, and its composition is close to it - cold-pressed olive oil, raw egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard. Before mixing the ingredients, the cook should rub a clove of garlic along the sides of the wooden bowl in which the dressing will be prepared. Although you can just chop the garlic very finely. Separately, it is necessary to mention the method of preparing eggs for Caesar. According to the historical version of the recipe, the egg should be pierced on the blunt side and placed in boiling water for literally half a minute, after which it should be broken into a bowl where the sauce is prepared. But since not everyone is ready to try dishes with raw eggs, most often boiled eggs or only the yolk, as well as Dijon mustard, are now used for dressing.

If the dressing turns out to be too liquid, you can add a little ground boiled eggs or grated Parmesan to it - Parmesan will add additional spiciness to the sauce. By the way, there are also simplified versions of the dressing, where ready-made mayonnaise, yogurt or sour cream is used instead of eggs. The absence of Worcestershire sauce today will also not stop anyone from trying the famous Caesar salad. Although the special sweet and sour taste of this British condiment, made from vinegar, sugar and fish, gives it a special charm.

A little more about the cooking process

Caesar Cardini used romaine lettuce, the crunchiest lettuce in the world, but other varieties of large-leaf lettuce fit into the recipe just as well, as does the salad mix. And yet, most often preference is given to iceberg or lettuce. Lettuce leaves must first be not only washed well, but also dried.

For croutons, white bread is used, preferably a baguette, which is cut into small pieces and either baked in the oven or fried in a frying pan in olive oil and garlic. In both cases, the croutons should retain tender flesh under the golden crust.

If it is not possible to leave Parmesan cheese in the recipe, then you can only replace it with another hard type of cheese.

No less significant components of the Caesar salad are chicken breast and shrimp. For a softer taste, the breast must first be beaten, then fried in a grill pan, cooled and cut into thin strips across the grain. Shrimp are also grilled, and it is recommended to give preference to fresh, unfrozen shrimp. Sometimes, instead of chicken or shrimp, red fish is found in the salad - baked and lightly salted. Be that as it may, Caesar salad and its recipes promise many culinary discoveries!

You can often find cherry tomatoes, quail eggs and other additions in the list of ingredients.

The presentation of “Caesar” is also interesting; it can be served as a fully prepared salad or by placing in front of the guests a large dish with a salad base and several small salad bowls with croutons, chicken, shrimp or fish. This way everyone can choose an option to their liking.

Classic Caesar

Let's start with the classic Caesar salad, described step by step for your convenience. In the future, you can experiment and make your own adjustments to the recipe.

romaine lettuce leaves - 1 bunch
baguette - 0.5 pcs.
lemon - 0.5 pcs.
parmesan cheese - 50–70 g
chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
olive oil - 100 g
garlic - 3 cloves
Dijon mustard - 2 tsp.
Worcestershire sauce - to taste
salt - to taste

Let's start by preparing the dressing:

Boil 2 eggs, cool them and separate the yolks, which, in fact, will serve as the basis of the sauce.
Beat the yolks, 100 g of olive oil, finely chopped garlic clove, 2 tsp with a blender or whisk. Dijon mustard, lemon juice and a couple drops of Worcestershire sauce.

Now let's move on to preparing croutons:

Cut the baguette crumb into cubes.
Grease a frying pan with oil, add chopped garlic clove to the oil and heat it up.
After the garlic aroma appears (after 2-3 minutes), remove the garlic and place the baguette pieces in the heated pan.
Stirring, fry the croutons until golden brown.
Cool before serving.

And then you can start assembling the salad itself:

Finely tear the lettuce leaves with your hands.
Grate the Parmesan and add the croutons.
Pour dressing over salad.

This version of Caesar is closest to the original source and is able to impress with its refined taste thanks to Worcestershire sauce with spicy notes.

Caesar with chicken

Of course, the classic version of the salad in the spirit of Cardini himself is very good, but lovers of heartier dishes prefer Caesar with chicken and cherry tomatoes. Let's prepare this delicious appetizer. Ingredients:

iceberg lettuce leaves - 5-6 pcs.
baguette - 0.5 pcs.
lemon - 0.5 pcs.
parmesan cheese - 50–70 g
chicken breast – 400 g
cherry tomatoes - 100 g
chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
olive oil - 100 g
garlic - 3 cloves
Dijon mustard - 2 tsp.
Worcestershire sauce - to taste
salt - to taste

Dressing for Caesar with chicken is prepared in the same way as in the previous recipe - egg yolks, olive oil, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and juice from half a lemon are whipped to the consistency of thick kefir.

To make it soft, it is better to first pound the chicken breast, and then fry it until golden brown in a grill pan with any spices you like.

Then the croutons are prepared in olive oil and garlic. The croutons and chicken breast are cooled. Afterwards you can start preparing the salad. Tear the lettuce leaves with your hands, pour a little sauce over them, place chicken breast cut across the grain on the leaves, halved cherry tomatoes and generously add all the ingredients with salad dressing.

Mix the salad or serve it in layers—the choice is yours. For example, Maestro Cardini preferred to mix all the ingredients.

Caesar salad with parmesan cheese and tomatoes

Ingredients

Boiled chicken breast – 250 g + –
Cherry tomatoes – 300 g + –
Arugula – 200 g + –
Hard Parmesan cheese – 80 g + –
Walnuts - 3-4 pcs. + —
Olive oil - 3 tbsp. l. + —
Quail eggs - 4 pcs. + —
Salt - to taste + -
Black pepper - to taste + -

Add everything
to the shopping list
Remove everything
from the shopping list Shopping list

How to make Caesar with Parmesan and tomatoes

Boil quail eggs in salted water for 3 minutes. Remove from boiling water and plunge into cold water. Once cooled, peel the eggs and cut each egg in half.
Cut the boiled chicken into large thin slices and immediately place in a salad bowl.
Wash the arugula well, shake off and place on plates.
Wash the cherry tomatoes in ice water (so they will be crispy) and cut each fruit into 4 parts. Add chopped vegetables to the salad along with quail eggs.
Grate the Parmesan using the coarsest grater. Peel the walnuts and grind them in a blender.
Mix the ingredients in the salad bowls. Sprinkle cheese and nuts on top.
Salt and pepper to taste and pour olive oil over the treat.

Each person has their own tastes, and it’s up to you to decide which cheese is suitable for Caesar with chicken. We hope our advice will help you make the right choice.

"Caesar salad with shrimps

You can’t ignore the second popular Caesar recipe - with shrimp. It is in many ways similar to the previous one. But in this case we will make a different dressing - based on yogurt. So what do you need for a Caesar salad with shrimp?

iceberg lettuce leaves - 5-6 pcs.
white bread for croutons
parmesan cheese - 70 g
shrimp – 250 g
cherry tomatoes - 100 g
garlic - 3 cloves
boiled eggs - 2 pcs.
yogurt - 150 ml
lemon juice - 2 tbsp. l.
mustard - 1 tbsp. l.
garlic - 1 clove
olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.
salt - to taste

Let's start with the dressing, for which we will need 2 boiled eggs, 150 ml of yogurt, 1 tbsp. l. mustard, 1 tbsp. l. olive oil, 20 g parmesan and 2 tbsp. l. lemon juice. For the sauce, chop the eggs into a blender bowl, add yogurt, mustard, olive oil, cheese and salt to taste, and then beat until smooth. Then we make croutons from white bread, frying them in olive oil and garlic.

Now you can do the shrimp. As already mentioned, it is better to use fresh shrimp in the salad, but if you had to choose a frozen product, then remember that the shrimp should be defrosted at room temperature. So, fry the shrimp on a hot grill pan until golden brown, usually this takes no more than 5 minutes. Let's cool them down. Now we place all the components of the salad on a dish, generously pouring each layer with dressing, which includes hand-torn lettuce leaves, shrimp, chopped cherry tomatoes, croutons, and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top. “Caesar” is ready, you can safely serve it to the table!

If you need parmesan slices

This situation is a little more complicated. In such dishes, it is the subtleties of taste that are very important, that is, the “substitute” should resemble Parmesan cheese. It’s difficult to decide what to replace it with: the choice is significantly reduced. Somewhat reminiscent of Parmesan in structure, graininess and piquancy, again “Grano Padano”. True, it is somewhat saltier, but this can only be determined by a professional taster or a fanatical cheese lover and connoisseur. A little more distant from Parmesan, but also somewhat similar to it in the nutty flavor and elegant aroma of Gruyere (if it is real Swiss). In terms of color, it is not at all similar to Parmesan, too yellow, but in the form of plates it will be a successful substitute.

The situation is worse if the Parmesan is required in fairly large cubes. For such dishes, you will either have to buy an original product, or feel free to ignore conventions and replace it with your favorite variety.

Caesar with red fish

In addition to the described recipes, there is another version of “Caesar”, which has many adherents. It replaces chicken and shrimp with red fish.

fresh red fish – 400 g
lettuce leaves - 1 bunch
gray loaf - 0.5 pcs.
parmesan - 50 g
chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
mustard - 1 tsp.
lemon - 0.5 pcs.
Cherry tomatoes - 7 pcs.
olive oil - 100 g
Worcestershire sauce
salt, pepper to taste

First, let's prepare the crackers. To do this, the pulp of the loaf is cut into cubes and placed on a baking sheet, greased with oil or covered with baking paper. Future crackers should be sprinkled with oil and baked until a beautiful crust appears. Red fish must be cooked in a grill pan until golden brown, then cool. Beat the peeled eggs, lemon juice, garlic, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a blender without stopping, add olive oil and a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce in the process. This will make a thick and tasty dressing. Afterwards, tear lettuce leaves onto a dish and place all the salad ingredients, including red fish. Pour over the dressing and enjoy the brightness of the taste!

Actually, Caesar salad is universal; it has both complex variations worthy of haute cuisine, where every step in creating the dressing is important, and simpler ones, when the sauce is used ready-made or quickly invented based on mayonnaise. And what a wide field for experimentation is hidden in it - after all, chicken, fish, and shrimp can be cooked in a variety of ways! If you want variety, look at Caesar recipes with photos in selections from Yulia Vysotskaya!

The salad with the imperial name, undoubtedly invented by immigrants from sunny Italy, has long taken a strong position as one of the most popular dishes. Having migrated from overseas to Europe, it has successfully reigned in both restaurant and home cooking for many years. The extremely simple recipe allows for many variations, but the only thing that remains unchanged is the use of high-quality Italian cheese among its components.

Cheese is a unique delicacy product, perhaps the only one, apart from wine, whose quality only improves from long-term storage. Just 50 g of a unique product in the famous salad can make its true connoisseur happy. According to experts, only Parmesan is able to form the flavor bouquet of both the sauce and the salad itself with a self-explanatory name.

Why Parmesan is bad

This cheese also has its drawbacks. First of all, it's quite salty. Parmesan heads are aged in salt “baths” for several weeks - naturally, the cheese absorbs a significant amount of salt. Accordingly, people who limit themselves to it for health reasons should think carefully about how to replace Parmesan.

Those who are prone to migraines should do the same: this cheese contains a substance that causes migraines. By the way, in addition to Parmesan, Roquefort also has this property; other cheeses are quite harmless in this regard. Parmesan is no less dangerous for those with diathesis. Well, the last category of people who are interested in what kind of cheese can replace Parmesan are those who simply don’t like its taste. And, let's tell you a secret, there are not so few of them.

Cheeses with a solid reputation

Real high-quality hard cheeses are distinguished by the fact that they have:

a characteristic dry crust formed when the prepared protein mass dries;
homogeneous dense structure;
long shelf life;
characteristic spicy smell.

The complete naturalness of the starting products and long ripening (up to 180 days) means that cheeses of decent quality, by definition, cannot have a low price. The cost of a high-quality product aged in accordance with technology requirements on the Russian market can reach up to 1,500 rubles per kilogram.

Cheese King

Parmesan, a high-fat Italian cheese with a scaly structure and a unique nutty taste, certainly dominates the salad recipe. In the homeland of Parmesan, Italy, the consumption of cheese is an integral feature, and the cheese itself is a national treasure, and for good reason. It makes any dish it contains luxurious.

By the way, the original recipe for Caesar salad involves decorating the salad not with grated cheese, but with paper-thin pieces cut with a regular potato peeler. But old hard and dry parmesan, which can only be chipped with a knife, due to its fragility, can also be grated to a fine crumb.

The cheese place is never empty

Worthy substitutes for Italian cheeses include:

Swiss “Gruyère”, “Emmental” - cheeses with a spicy, sweetish taste, having cylindrical heads and pronounced large eyes;
Dutch cheese with its small eyes and sharp taste;
white Irish cheddar;
Lithuanian cheeses “Djuga” or “Gojus”;
from domestic varieties - cheeses “Kubansky”, “Altaisky” and “Karpatsky”.

Gouda cheese is closest to Parmesan in quality and consistency, but it is a little softer. You can bring a piece of any cheese closer to the consistency of Parmesan by removing its packaging and leaving it on the top shelf of the refrigerator for several days.

Selection principles

Cheese of the proper quality is not a cheap pleasure, so you should not approach its choice lightly. When purchasing a product, you need to consider some nuances:

pay special attention to the terms and conditions of storage of cheese;
remember that high-quality cheese can contain no more than six components;
careful study of the list of ingredients will reduce the risk of consuming a delicacy made from natural cow's milk, which carries certain risks;
the cheese should not be overly salty.

In the absence of Parmesan, any hard cheese, except moldy varieties, will be useful for preparing Caesar salad. In combination with the skill of the chef, the product is guaranteed to create a festive atmosphere and will be a wonderful addition, highlighting the taste of a delicious dish with crispy croutons.

How to choose the right hard cheese

When you have decided on the type of cheese for your favorite treat, you need to know how to choose a quality product. After all, good cheese nowadays is quite an expensive pleasure, so pay special attention to the choice of delicacy.

When choosing any cheese, you need to pay attention to the shelf life and storage conditions. Solid elite products mature for several years, but are sold ready-made. Considering the storage conditions, such cheese can be in the store for a maximum of 6 months. Therefore, always read the packaging carefully.
Since cow's milk cheese is used for Caesar, carefully study the composition of the product. If you find it difficult to understand all the ingredients, at least pay attention to the amount allowed.

A good cheese should not have more than six ingredients. They are quite enough to create cheese. If you have much more, refuse the purchase.

To choose a good Parmesan, you need to pay attention to the country and region where the product is made. Of course, it is quite difficult to buy French and Italian cheese, because it reaches the shelves of domestic stores in scanty quantities.
But there are several similarly delicious types of Parmesan: Australian, Chinese and Armenian cheese - they can safely be classified as gourmet options.

Among domestic analogues, you can also choose Parmesan cheese. But here you need to choose the cheese at your own discretion. Of course, it will be tasty, but there are obvious differences from the traditional product.

It is best to take several types and prepare snacks from them. Only then will you be able to understand what kind of cheese you like.

Of course, having brought delicious cheese home, it is very difficult to resist trying a tasty morsel. And to enjoy your favorite product to the fullest, it is better to prepare the famous light salad with its participation. Parmesan will be much tastier when combined with fresh herbs and boiled meat.