This is the absolute BEST caesar salad I've ever tasted and this spicy caesar salad with green chile and cheese cornbread croutons has a bit of a kick too! It's packed full of deliciousness!
I promised, and so here we are!
A few days ago I posted my favorite cornbread recipe and today we’re taking that cornbread and making it into these big and yummy hunks of seared croutons for my favorite caesar salad.
This salad is a copycat recipe of Bandera restaurant’s caesar salad and I swear, it’s spot on. Especially with the cornbread croutons. Spot on.
Now there’s no need to go there to spend all my student dolla-bills on a salad that I can easily make at home, and for much less. Also, I don’t have to worry that my salad is almost gone with each little bite that I take because I can make as BIG of a salad as I want!
When it comes to sumpin’ good for my belly, I’d much rather spend a little for a lot than a lot for a little, you know what I mean? I like my salads big, just like Elaine from "Seinfeld" does.
The thing that makes this salad dressing so tangy and a bit spicy is the sambal oelek. This stuff is a chili garlic paste that you usually see on your table at a Thai restaurant, next to the soy sauce and pickled veggies. It’s that jar of red stuff with a mini spoon in it.
It just gives an added garlic intensity and an added kick of heat. You know what---it sort of turns the salad into a kind of Southwestern Caesar Salad, especially with that New Mexican green chile that’s happening in the cornbread.
Also, please don’t leave out the anchovy that goes into the dressing. I know it can be a bit weird---it’s a tiny little brown fish from a can with itty bitty bones that look like shreds of fiberglass.
But we can move on from that and realize that the reason we all love caesar salad dressing more than most other creamy dressings is that it’s got a briny, tasty flavor that comes from the anchovy in it. Well it’s true! I promise that’s why.
So please don’t leave it out. Also, awesome source of calcium thanks to those teeny tiny bones---as if that’s what’s going to convince anyone to use it.
I write these posts with the full intent to guide you to try a recipe that I really love, but I seem to have a penchant for subconsciously guiding you far away instead. Why I have to take a perfectly fine post about an incredibly tasty caesar salad and end it with “fiberglass-like anchovy bones in a can”, I have no idea. Also, the bones just look like fiberglass, you don’t even notice them when you eat them.
Pretty sure that made it worse.
Just try the salad. It’s really good.
The cornbread croutons too.
Happy BIG salad eatin’!
If you want to make the Green Chile and Cheese Cornbread by itself, it's an amazing side dish on its own.
Try my Mediterranean Salad with Tuna, Pesto, Arugula, and Potatoes!
Try my Fresh Mozzarella Beet Salad!
Try my BEST Shrimp Ceviche Recipe!
Recipe
Spicy Caesar Salad with Green Chile Cornbread Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 head Romaine Lettuce rinsed and chopped
- ⅓ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
- ⅓ of the entire green chile and cheese cornbread (from my recipe) cut into large chunks for croutons
For the Dressing:
- ⅓ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Garlic approximately 3 cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
- 1 Anchovy Fillet minced
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper coarsely ground if you have it
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek Chili Paste
- Juice of ½ of a Lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F (175º C) and lightly grease a baking tray.
- Throw on the pieces of cornbread in one even layer and bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping them halfway to crisp up the sides. Depending on your baking tray material, it may take a bit longer to crisp up.
- Mix together all dressing ingredients in a bowl.
- Add dressing and cheese onto lettuce and mix.
- Serve with Green Chile & Cheddar Jack Cornbread Croutons and enjoy!
Ali via Home & Plate says
This salad looks amazing. I can't wait to try this. Caesar is a favorite of mine.
honestandtasty says
Thanks for stopping by, Ali! I hope you get a chance to try it out. Let me know what ya think! 🙂 🙂
Laura says
Looks great! I am going to make it this weekend, thanks Honest and Tasty!!
honestandtasty says
My pleasure, Laura love! <3 <3