A nice char, a smokey flavour, and none of the wilting, romaine hearts are made for the grill! This perfect summer salad is complimented by a zesty caesar dressing that will have you eating your greens every summer evening. Best of all? It’s super easy to portion out, because everyone at the table gets to have their own heart!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Caesar vinaigrette

• 80 ml / 1/3 cup Mirage margarine, melted
• 30 ml / 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 10 ml / 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 5 ml / 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 5 ml / 1 tsp honey
• 2 pieces / 2 tsp garlic cloves, minced
• 2 filets / 2 tsp anchovy, chopped
• 4 g / 1 tsp capers, drained
• 2 g / 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 g / 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Salad

• 2 heads romaine lettuce
• 42 g / 3 tbsp Mirage margarine, melted
• 1 g / 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 g / 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For the garnish:

• 15 g / 3 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved or grated
• 25 g / 2 tbsp whole almonds, lightly toasted and roughly chopped

Directions

Caesar vinaigrette

1. In a measuring cup or bowl, using a handheld blender, combine the melted Mirage margarine with the lemon juice, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, honey, minced garlic, chopped anchovies, capers, lemon zest, and cayenne. Blend until anchovies and capers are thoroughly incorporated into the dressing. Set aside.

Salad

1. Preheat a grill or a grill pan on medium-high to high heat.

2. Wash and dry the romaine lettuce. Slice in half lengthwise. Brush all sides of the 4 halves of lettuce with the melted Mirage margarine. Sprinkle the halves with salt and pepper.

3. Place the halves, cut-side down, onto the preheated grill. Flip the romaine hearts once the leaves have some char and grill marks; about 3 to 4 minutes. Grill the other side for an additional minute, making sure the halves remain crisp-tender.

4. Arrange romaine halves, cut side up, onto a serving platter or on individual plates. Drizzle the caesar vinaigrette over the grilled halves and garnish with parmigiano-reggiano and toasted almonds. Serve immediately.

Chef’s Notes

• For a more classic Caesar Salad, brush two slices of day-old bread, on both sides, with melted Mirage margarine. Place onto the grill at the same time as the romaine halves. Grill both sides until toasted. Cut grilled bread into cubes or tear into pieces. Garnish halves with the croutons before drizzling with the vinaigrette and cheese
• Increase the amount of cayenne to 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) for an even spicier kick.