If you thought caesar salad couldn’t get any better, you’d be wrong. Use chicken fat scooped off the top of a stock or left over after a roast instead of oil to fry the croutons and to whisk into the dressing, and you’ll take this classic salad to a whole new level. Caesar salad is all about the umaminess of its dressing, in which parmesan, anchovies and Worcestershire sauce are mixed into an unctuous, egg-based emulsion to make the ultimate salad sauce. Add chicken fat to the mix, and you’ll turn up that umami dial to maximum, creating a remarkably delicious salad that may well have you swooning and groaning with pleasure.
Caesar salad with chicken fat dressing and crisp chicken skin
The crunchy salad leaves in a caesar salad are the perfect foil for one of the richest, most flavourful dressings in the world. And if you use chicken fat instead of oil, it increases the nutrition and taste of the dish even further. Toast the croutons in a frying pan instead of the oven, to save on energy, but if you’ve got the oven on anyway, bake them on a tray for six to 10 minutes, depending on the temperature the oven is set to. Tossing parmesan through the croutons while they’re still hot and in the pan gives them a beautiful, grilled cheese aroma, too.
I used the chicken fat skimmed off the top of some homemade stock, and didn’t even bother filtering it or anything. I also had some chicken skin left over from a roast chicken, so I fried that in a dry pan until crisp and used it to top the salad with some shredded cold roast chicken.
Serves 4
2 large slices stale bread – I used wholemeal sourdough
5 tbsp chicken fat – 2 tbsp for the croutons, the rest for the dressing
Extra-virgin olive oil, if needed
60g parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
1 egg
Finely grated zest and juice of ¼ organic lemon – if your lemon is non-organic, use only the juice and double the amount
1 small garlic clove, peeled and minced
4 anchovy fillets, drained and minced
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and black pepper
300-400g seasonal leaves, or the leaves from 2 little gems, washed
Fried chicken skin and leftover shredded roast chicken, to serve (optional)
Cut the bread into rough cubes. Melt two tablespoons of the chicken fat in a frying pan on a medium heat, then fry the bread, stirring and turning, until golden brown all over. Once the croutons are coloured and while they are still in the pan, stir in two tablespoons of the grated parmesan and set aside to cool.
To make the dressing, crack the egg into the jug of an immersion blender, then slowly blend in three tablespoons of chicken fat; if need be, blend in a little extra-virgin olive oil to make a thin mayonnaise. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, the minced garlicand anchovies, two tablespoons of the grated cheese and the mustard and Worcestershire sauce, then season to taste.
Put the salad leaves in a bowl and toss with four generous tablespoons of the dressing. Transfer to a platter or serving bowl, then top with the croutons and remaining grated cheese. Drizzle over extra dressing to taste, then enjoy – if you like top it with crisp chicken skin and shredded cold leftover roast chicken.
