Kale Caesar Salad with Massaged Leaves
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats, America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
This follows the classic Caesar method — the same croutons and creamy anchovy-mayonnaise dressing — but swaps romaine for massaged raw kale, which rests in the dressing for 20 minutes to soften further.
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Method
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Equipment
- baking tray
- 2 bowls
- whisk or fork
- salad spinner or clean tea towels
- large salad bowl
- fine grater
- vegetable peeler for shavings
- chopping board and knife
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 510 kcal |
| Protein | 12.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 24.6 g |
| of which sugars | 2.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 2.1 g |
| Fat | 41.3 g |
| of which saturates | 7.7 g |
| Fibre | 4.1 g |
| Salt | 2.12 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Salad
- 300 g curly or cavolo nero kale (stems removed), torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 0.5 g fine sea salt or table salt a pinch
Croutons
- 150 g ciabatta or day-old crusty white bread, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic cloves, grated to a paste
- 0.5 g fine sea salt or table salt a pinch
Dressing
- 100 g mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained, patted dry and mashed to a paste
- 1 garlic cloves, grated to a paste
- ¼ tsp mustard powder
- 30 g Parmesan-style hard cheese, finely grated
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Salad
- 20 g Parmesan-style hard cheese, shaved
- 1
Massage the kale. Wash and thoroughly dry the kale, then in the large bowl rub it with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Squeeze and scrunch handfuls of leaves for about 2 minutes until the kale darkens slightly, shrinks a little and feels silky rather than tough. This breaks down the sturdy fibres in raw kale, so it becomes tender enough to eat without cooking.
- 2
Bake the croutons. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, grated garlic and a pinch of salt, spread on a tray and bake for 12-15 minutes, stirring once, until golden and crisp all the way through. Cool on the tray so they keep their crunch.
- 3
Whisk the dressing. Whisk the lemon juice, mashed anchovy, garlic and mustard powder together, then whisk in the mayonnaise, grated cheese, olive oil and pepper until smooth. Using mayonnaise rather than a raw egg yolk gives this dressing its classic thick, creamy texture while keeping it safe to eat. Taste and sharpen with more lemon juice if needed.
- 4
Rest in the dressing. Toss the massaged kale with three-quarters of the dressing and refrigerate for 20 minutes, up to 6 hours. Unlike delicate lettuce, kale actually improves as it sits in the dressing, softening further and taking on more flavour.
- 5
Add croutons and serve. Toss in the croutons, drizzle over the remaining dressing and scatter with the cheese shavings and a grind of pepper. Serve straightaway while the croutons are still crisp.
Storage
Dressed kale (without croutons) keeps in the fridge for up to 1 day — add the croutons just before eating to keep them crisp. Store any extra croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
