Caesar salad will be tastier and crispier if you make it properly with 1 simple ingredient

Caesar salad is a classic summer dish that is quick to throw together for lunch, but it is surprisingly easy to get wrong. If your salad has ever gone soggy or tasted wrong, then it is likely because you are using the wrong salad leaves.

It may sound bizarre, but Caesar salad contains a lot of creamy and heavy ingredients, so if you use the wrong lettuce it can collapse under the dressing to leave you will a mushy mess. Certain strong greens like kale can overpower the salad with bitterness, while others, like iceberg, are too mild and can leave the dish tasting bland.

Instead, Jeanine Donofrio, a cook and co-founder of Love and Lemons has shared you always need to use romaine lettuce leaves when making Caesar salad.

She said: "Romaine lettuce, a Caesar salad essential! Its crisp texture helps it stand up to the thick, creamy Caesar dressing."

Romaine lettuce is traditionally used as it has a firm and crisp texture which can hold up the ingredients without going soggy or limp.

It also has a slightly buttery taste that compliments the salad rich ingredients which is why romaine leaves have always been used since the dish was invented in the 1920s.

How to make Caesar salad

For the salad:

• 450g of romaine lettuce
• 240ml of mayonnaise
• 60ml of olive oil
• Two tablespoons of lemon juice
• Two teaspoons of Dijon mustard
• One teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• One garlic clove (finely grated)
• 80g of Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
• Salt and pepper

To make your own croutons (optional):

• 200g of crusty bread
• Three tablespoons of olive oil
• Sea salt

Method:

To begin, place and large bowl on your kitchen counter. Add the mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and paper then mix until smooth.

Stir in half the Parmesan cheese (40g), then stir again. If the salad dressing seems too thick, add one teaspoon of water at a time until you have the consistency you want.

If you want to make your own croutons, line a tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180C, 160C for a fan oven or Gas Mark 4. Cut the bread into cubes, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Place in the oven for 10 to 18 minutes until you have some crispy and golden croutons. It is perfectly fine to use store-bought croutons if you wish but they are easy to make yourself and can make the salad even more delicious.

Next, all you have to do is assemble the salad. Shred the romaine lettuce leaves, then place in a large bowl. Add half the dressing, half the croutons and then add a quarter (20g) of the Parmesan cheese.

Toss the salad then top with the remaining croutons and cheese (20g). Add more dressing if you wish, then your crisp and tasty Caesar salad is ready to serve.