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The full bowl of grilled steak Caesar salad with tongs, the grilled romaine spooned with dressing rather than tossed.
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Grilled Steak Caesar Salad

Forget about the side salad. Charred romaine, hand-torn grilled bread, and a whole New York strip sliced hot over the top, built in the bowl for a little showmanship a real meal deserves.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings (about 6 oz steak per person)
Calories: 1118kcal
Author: Brittany Lauren

Ingredients

For the Dressing

  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 egg yolk room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
  • Kosher salt to taste

For the Steak

  • 1 1/2 lb New York strip steak at least 1.5 inches thick
  • Kosher salt and coarse black pepper

For the Croutons

  • 2 cups crusty bread cut into thick slices
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • kosher salt Pinch

For the Salad

  • 2 heads romaine halved lengthwise through the core
  • olive oil for brushing
  • shaved parmesan to finish
  • coarse black pepper to finish

Instructions

Salt the Steak

  • Season the strip generously with kosher salt on all sides. Let it sit at room temperature 20 minutes, until the surface looks dry and slightly tacky.
    A raw New York strip steak seasoned with coarse salt on a wooden board, with a small bowl of salt beside it.

Prep the Bread

  • Brush the bread slices with olive oil on both sides and season with a pinch of salt. Leave them whole, in slabs.
    Two thick slices of Italian bread brushed with olive oil on a wooden cutting board, ready to be grilled into Caesar croutons.

Heat the Grill

  • Preheat for high, direct heat. Hot enough that you can hold a hand five inches over the grates for about two seconds.

Grill the Steak

  • Grill over direct heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until a Thermapen reads 130F in the thickest part. Pull it there. Carryover cooking will bring the internal temp to about 135F during the rest.
    The New York strip flipped on the grill, seared side up with dark crosshatched grill marks across the crust.

Step 5: Grill the Crouton

  • While the steak rests, grill the bread slabs directly on the grates 2 to 3 minutes per side, until charred and crisp. Tear or cube into rough crouton pieces once cool enough to handle.
    Oiled slices of Italian bread toasting on the grill grate over an open flame to become the grilled croutons.

Step 6: Grill the Romain

  • Brush the cut sides of the romaine halves with olive oil. Grill cut side down only, 60 to 90 seconds, until the edges char and the surface leaves wilt while the heart stays crisp. Do not flip.
    Grilled romaine halves, charred at the edges and still bright green, piled in a wooden salad bowl.

Make the Dressing

  • In a large wooden bowl, mash the anchovy fillets and garlic into a rough paste with the back of a fork. Whisk in the egg yolk, Dijon, and lemon juice until smooth and pale.
  • Whisking constantly, add the neutral oil first in a thin steady stream, then the olive oil a little at a time, until the dressing thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the parmesan last. Season with salt.

Build the Bowl

  • Set the grilled romaine halves into the dressing, rotate to coat, and turn them cut side up. Spoon the dressing over the top rather than tossing.
    Creamy anchovy garlic Caesar dressing spooned over the grilled romaine halves in the wooden bowl.

Slice and Serve

  • Slice the rested steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Layer over the romaine with the grilled croutons. Finish with shaved parmesan and coarse black pepper. Serve immediately.
    Grilled steak Caesar salad up close, the anchovy garlic dressing pooling between torn croutons, parmesan and pink strip steak.

Notes

  • This salad is best built and served immediately at the table. Use a very fresh egg and work quickly through the emulsion step.
  • Stream the oil in slowly while whisking. Adding it too fast is the most common reason this dressing breaks.
  • Grill the romaine cut side down only. Do not flip it.
  • Spoon, do not toss. Tossing breaks up the char and crushes the crisp heart.
  • For a version without raw egg, whisk in 2 tablespoons mayonnaise in place of the yolk.
  • Anchovy paste works in place of fillets (and lasts longer in the frige): about 2 teaspoons for 4 fillets.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1118kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 67g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 36g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 193mg | Sodium: 980mg | Potassium: 1488mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 27396IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 318mg | Iron: 11mg