Description

Caesar salad purists may reconsider their own traditional rules after trying our grilled napa cabbage alternative. After a brief time over a hot flame, the cabbage develops an irresistible sweetness, acquires crispy blackened edges, and softens slightly while still retaining some crunch. Combined with the charred scallion dressing, a squeeze of caramelized lemon, and grilled-not-baked croutons you can forget the romaine lettuce and get your napa cabbage grill on you soon to be converts.

Scale

Ingredients

1 napa cabbage,cut lengthwise into wedges, leaving core intact
4–6 boquerones, Spanish white anchovy fillets
1 lemon, cut in half, widthwise
4–6 slices baguette, cut on the bias, skip to make Gluten-free
Parmesan cheese, for shaving on top
Olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper, season as you go

For the Charred Scallion Caesar Dressing

3 scallions
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 farm-fresh egg
4–6 boquerones, (marinated white anchovy fillets)
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
4–5 capfuls honey wine vinegar, (we use Slide Ridge brand)
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for coating scallion greens
salt and freshly ground pepper, season as you go

Instructions

Preheat a grill to high heat. Place cabbage wedges on a baking sheet, cut sides up. Drizzle with oil to coat, getting into the nooks and crannies, and season with salt and pepper. Coat both sides of baguette slices with oil and season with salt.
Coat the cut sides of lemons with oil and grill, face down, until caramelized, about 10 minutes.
While lemons are grilling, make the dressing: Cut off bottoms of scallions, including about an inch of the greens, and roughly chop. Coat scallion greens with olive oil and grill them for 3–5 minutes, until they get a nice char.
In a blender, combine chopped scallions, charred scallion greens, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, and boquerones and season with salt and pepper. Blend until semi-smooth. Scrape down sides of blender and add egg and Parmesan. Blend on slow to medium speed, gradually pouring in the oil, until dressing is smooth but not runny. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Grill napa cabbage, turning wedges occasionally, for 3–4 minutes or until slightly softened and nicely charred on all sides. Add baguette slices and grill on both sides until edges are toasty brown, 2–3 minutes.
Transfer cabbage to a platter, drizzle with dressing to taste, and top with boquerones. Squeeze one half of lemon over salad and serve the other half alongside. Finish with shaved Parmesan and baguette slices, left whole or chopped up into croutons.

Notes

Gluten-free option: simply kick the baguette to the curb and double-check your whole grain mustard and vinegar. There’s are mustards and vinegars on the market that are certified gluten-free certified gluten-free, meaning that manufacturer has stricter protocols about preventing gluten cross-contamination.

Category: salad
Method: grill

Keywords: grilled napa cabbage, Caesar Salad, salad