Servings: 4
salad
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup of coarsely chopped fresh bread crumbs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 heads of romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed, split length ways, rinsed and dried
16 spears of fresh green asparagus, blanched, refreshed with cold water and chilled
2 to 3 ounces of cooked, shelled crab for each serving
Chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano
dressing
50 grams salt-packed anchovies, rinsed well and dried
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
60 grams grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 extra large egg
500 millilitres vegetable oil
Fresh lemon juice to taste
75 millilitres very hot water
Salt to taste
Method
For the dressing, add all the ingredients except the oil, lemon, water and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Blitz until well combined. Slowly pour in the oil to form an emulsion.
Once all the oil is incorporated, the dressing should be quite thick. With the machine still running, pour in some of the hot water to achieve a creamy consistency, keeping in mind the lemon juice will thin it a little more.
Correct the balance with the lemon and add salt to taste.
For the salad, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and bread crumbs. Cook the crumbs until lightly golden and crisp, stirring with a wooden spoon. Season with a little salt and drain on a paper towel.
Arrange the lettuce and asparagus as you like, on plates or large shallow bowls. Place the crab meat on top. Drizzle with Caesar dressing. Shave a modest amount of cheese over each salad, then sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs, salt and ground pepper. Serve.
Keith Froggett is co-owner and executive chef of Scaramouche in Toronto.