Grilled Romaine Salad
This recipe comes from a Williams Sonoma cookbook that we have tried several recipes from. We love romaine grilled, having discovered it several years ago with another recipe (that I’ll share the next time we make!) The slight char on the romaine with the tangy dressing, topped of with creamy asiago cheese, is a great combination to add to any grill night.
When spring arrives in Texas it is time to eat outside before it gets too warm in the summer. This grilled romaine salad is a perfect addition to a night on the grill, keeping all the cooking outside!
Freshly made Caesar inspired dressing is whipped up in the blender and the rest of the ingredients are just prepped to pull over the romaine at the end.
First make the dressing.
The original recipe calls for anchovy paste. If you don’t care for anchovies, using the paste is the way to go as it does not produce such a strong flavor. We like anchovies and on this day could not find any paste at our local grocer.
We even added a bit of the anchovy oil to our oil mixture which really gives a nice addition to the flavor.
The key is to not cut the core completely off so the romaine stays together on the grill. If you have exceptionally large romaine heads you can actually cut in to fourths.
Be careful!
These got a bit too charred at the top. Keep an eye on those flames, especially near the top of the romaine heads as they will burn easily. The char marks in the middle is the goal across the entire wedge of romaine.
This is a large salad, so it may take a dinner plate to make the best presentation. We usually have this salad with just a grilled piece of chicken to complete the meal.
Again, those anchovies can be used as an addition. Give the dressing a good shake or stir before dressing the salad.
It’s so colorful and tastes so fresh. The slight char of the romaine combined with the tangy dressing and creamy cheese really makes the flavor of this salad stand out!
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Grilled Romaine Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white wine (or champagne) vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (or 1 small anchovy, finely chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoons fresh oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon store bought roasted or homemade garlic
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
- 1/4 Asiago cheese
Instructions
- First, make the vinaigrette by adding the vinegar, anchovy paste (or anchovy), mustard, lemon juice, oregano and garlic to a blender. Pulse to blend. With the machine running, slowly add both oils and process until the dressing emulsifies. Drizzle in the honey. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to use. This will make more dressing than needed. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.
- Prepare a charcoal or gas grill over medium heat. Brush and oil the grate.
- Cut each romaine head in half. Trim the base of the stem from each half, but leave the remainder of the stem attached. This will hold the leaves together. Drizzle the cut side of each half with a bit of olive oil.
- Place the romaine halves, cut side down, on the grill directly over the fire and cook 2-3 minutes until the leaves have developed a little char. Turn and cook for about 2 minutes more. The lettuce should be wilted but still hold it's shape.
- Transfer the romaine halves, cut side up to individual plates, and garnish each plate evenly with the tomatoes and avocado. Shave the cheese over each salad. Drizzle dressing on each plate, saving the remainder to serve on the side as desired. Crack a bit of pepper over the plate and serve at once. Enjoy!
