Shrimp Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing is a crowd-pleasing main-dish salad with crisp romaine leaves, juicy roasted shrimp, crunchy croutons, and parmesan cheese. It's quick and easy to prepare, low-calorie, healthy, and a family favorite.
1lbraw shrimppeeled, deveined and tails removed, extra-large, 21/25 per lb.
2tablespoonolive oil
1tablespoonlemon juicefresh
½teaspoonkosher salt
½teaspoonlemon pepper
Caesar Salad Dressing
¼cuppasteurized egg productor one egg yolk
1clovegarlicminced
1-½teaspoonanchovy paste
1teaspoonDijon mustard
2tablespoonlemon juice
3tablespoonolive oil
¼cupgrated Parmesan cheese
½teaspoonKosher salt
¼teaspoonground black pepper
Salad
2headsRomaine lettucerinsed, drained, torn or chopped
Toppings
2cupscroutonshomemade or purchased
½cupParmesan cheesegrated or shaved
Instructions
Roasted Shrimp
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the shrimp in a bowl. Add the olive oil and lemon juice, mix well. Add the salt and lemon pepper and spread the shrimp out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Caesar Salad Dressing
Add the egg yolk, garlic, anchovy paste, mustard, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice to a blender jar and process. Add the olive oil slowly while the blender is still running. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
Assembly
Place the Romaine lettuce in a large bowl and add the dressing. Toss well until the leaves are coated. Top with the shrimp, garnish with croutons and add additional grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Sharon's Expert Tips:
To make this salad ahead, prepare the roasted shrimp and dressing up to 24 hours ahead. Cover each tightly and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the salad.If you can't bring yourself to add anchovy paste to the dressing, add an extra dash of Worcestershire sauce.You can substitute grilled chicken, salmon, or slices of steak for the shrimp. You can also shake things up a bit and add roasted vegetables such as sweet potato or butternut squash. I use extra-large shrimp in this recipe, which means I had 21-25 shrimp per pound. Shrimp this size takes eight minutes to cook perfectly at 400 degrees. If your's are larger or smaller, they will take a minute or so more or less to cook. You can use homemade or purchased croutons in this recipe. I prefer homemade but have also used purchased.If you would like to make homemade croutons, take several slices of stale sourdough bread or rolls and cut them into cubes. Add to a bowl along with ¼ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper. Toss and spread the cubes out on a baking sheet. Toast in a 375-degree oven for about 10 minutes. If you decide to make homemade croutons, make twice as much as you think you will need because it's impossible not to snack on them. For crisp lettuce, be sure to rinse it and store it in the refrigerator wrapped in a damp paper towel in a plastic storage bag until you are ready to use it. I usually chop my lettuce up and rinse it in a salad spinner and then store it in the salad spinner in the refrigerator. Either way works.