Serves a Crowd

Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad

April 25, 2021
4
17 Ratings
Photo by Alpha Smoot
  • Prep time 30 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

Thinly shaved brussels sprouts have a discernible flavor that stands up to and complements the lemon, garlic, and Parmigiano flavors of the Caesar dressing.

The quantities in this recipe are meant to be used merely as a guideline. Some people like their Caesar dressing with less anchovy, or more garlic, or less cayenne. Please taste your dressing and adjust it to fit your preferences. But remember that you want your dressing to taste strong, because the flavor will become somewhat muted once it gets spread over the shaved raw brussels sprouts. —Josh Cohen

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Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds brussels sprouts
  • 1 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 10 anchovy fillets
  • 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for croutons
  • 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 pinch salt, to taste
  • 4 cups bite-sized cubes of focaccia
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 extra cloves of garlic
Directions
  1. Make the Caesar dressing: Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, two cloves of garlic, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy fillets, Parmigiano, red wine vinegar, and cayenne to a food processor and blend until smooth. Mix the olive oil and grapeseed oil together in a small container, and with the food processor running, add the oil in a thin, steady stream. Taste. Season with salt and pepper. Keep tasting and seasoning until you are happy. The dressing should be acidic and full of savory flavor. You can make the dressing a few days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.
  2. Make the croutons: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Toss the focaccia pieces in enough olive oil to thoroughly coat them, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place the croutons on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Smash 3 cloves of garlic and throw them in with the focaccia. Throw in few sprigs of thyme. Give everything a gentle toss. Cook the croutons in the oven until they are toasted and crispy, approximately 8 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and garlic cloves and set aside the croutons.
  3. Trim the stems off the brussels sprouts, removing any sad outer leaves. You can then shave each individual brussels sprout on a mandoline, or you can cut each brussels sprout in half and then slice each half into thin ribbons with a knife.
  4. In a large bowl, mix together the brussels sprout ribbons, the parsley, and the croutons. Add most of the dressing and toss. Add the rest of the dressing as needed. Taste. Adjust as necessary with salt, pepper, and lemon. When you think it tastes delicious, serve it.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

29 Reviews

Joey K. November 3, 2022
Hi!! Wanted to know about those mixing bowls!!
Marie S. February 28, 2022
This was delicious! I used my food processor to shred my Brussels sprouts with ease and added some shredded Lacinato kale to the mix.
Ashley B. November 23, 2020
This is one of my favorite ways to make brussels sprouts! I used to slice the brussels sprouts in a food processor but now I don't have one and opt to cut the sprouts in half and roast them instead. Super delicious!
Megan February 14, 2019
This was awesome and so easy....I made sure to shave the sprout...and removed the harder middle parts...the was the most time intensive (@ 15 min)...I split it he recipe in half....and would make this again and again....although it was a tad salty...something I will adjust the next time. For anyone wondering I’d they should make this....it is so worth trying.
Amelia F. January 3, 2019
If i don't have grapeseed oil can I just use all olive oil?
Josh C. January 3, 2019
Hi Amelia, I think that a flavorful olive oil could overpower the dressing (olive oil can taste grassy or peppery) so a mild olive oil or a neutral oil (like grapeseed or canola) would work well.
RavensFeast November 20, 2018
We love Brussels sprouts, and this was good, but we'd never make it again. We enjoyed it eating it, but boy did those raw Brussels sprouts do a number on our stomachs later. I had no idea I'd react that way physically. For those of you who don't experience the same, I'm envious! You will enjoy this. If you're sensitive to raw Brassica, I'd steer clear.
Ashley B. November 23, 2020
I know your comment is from a while back, but I've been making this dressing to toss over roasted brussels sprouts and it's just as delicious and might be easier on your stomach!
Alexandra L. October 17, 2018
This is one of our go-to salads! So tasty and fairly easy, we usually have enough dressing and salad for a couple meals as a couple, sometimes supplementing with stuff on the side. It is VERY zingy but we love it that way! A good reason to keep anchovies in the pantry.
Andrea June 6, 2020
Worried about the raw egg? You can soft or medium hard boil an egg, throw it in the blender with anchovies, oil (we LOVE olive oil), add salt, pepper, and garlic to taste, and one drop of mustard (emulsifier), and thin with water. Give it all a good blend. Or, you can buy pasteurized raw eggs. They come in pint sized milk cartons and found refrigerated.
rpkc15 December 22, 2017
This looks good but I'm worried about the raw egg. Any suggestions?
Josh C. January 2, 2018
Hello rpkc15,

If you are concerned about the raw egg, you can always experiment with store-bought mayo and augment it with the lemon, garlic, cayenne, anchovy, parm, etc. (just be aware that the store-bought mayo will taste salty/savory and will not need as much parm and anchovy as a homemade mayo). Good luck!
Josh C. January 2, 2018
You may also need to thin out the mayo with a little water, so that the texture resembles caesar dressing and not aioli.
Kristi M. January 3, 2019
You could also coddle the egg!
Teddi December 13, 2016
I just made the caesar dressing, and found it to be a tad too intensely lemony. I could have had too much lemon juice (maybe too juicy of lemons), and would suggesting to start with a base of 1/4 cup and go from there. You can always add, but cannot subtract!
Ali W. November 22, 2016
Can I sub the anchovies for fish sauce? 1/2 to 1 tbsp maybe? Also, how long does the dressing keep in the fridge? I'm concerned about the raw egg yolks...
Lori H. November 17, 2017
I have started using fish sauce when I make Caesar dressing - love the flavour. I would start with 1/2 a tap and then adjust to taste. I never measure when I make the dressing ... typically two shakes of the bottle (my bottle has the small hole top).
Lori H. November 17, 2017
1/2 tsp ... not 1/2 a tap ;)
Barb November 18, 2018
I just made a pot of cream of mushroom soup and added maybe 1/2 t of fish sauce, oh my! I may add a bit more to the leftovers.
Donna H. November 6, 2016
This looks kind of amazing. Too late for Thanksgiving dinner in Canada, but perhaps Christmas! No anchovies though, I'll try the soy instead pas per Josh.
clayshapes January 5, 2016
To make this easier, I always shred my sprouts in the food processor, using the slicing blade. I use the same blade for coleslaw, to prevent slicing my fingers. Works perfectly and it's so fast!
Teddi December 13, 2016
Is that the blade that has one long slicer? I tried it but the slices were a bit abnormal and some of the sprouts were still well intact.
BarnOwlBaker November 20, 2018
Teddi, I used the blade with one long slicer and put the brussel sprouts through twice to get the desired shred.
Courtney C. December 20, 2015
Made this tonight using the vegetarian version of the dressing (I subbed 1 Tbsp of Bragg's Liquid Aminos for the 10 anchovies as kindly suggested by the recipe's author). The salad was delicious - everyone raved about it. This will be a special occasion recipe for me only because shaving the sprouts takes quite a bit of time. However, it was worth the work! Makes a ton - enough as a side for eight easily.
Courtney C. December 18, 2015
This is a great recipe. Any suggestions on how to make the dressing vegetarian? Thanks!
Josh C. December 18, 2015
Hi Courtney,

I think it would be fun to use a little soy sauce to replace the anchovy and make the dressing vegetarian. Anchovies and soy sauce are both designed to add a salty umami blast to recipes. Begin by adding 1/2 teaspoon, taste it, and continue to adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Courtney C. December 18, 2015
Thank you so much Josh! It looks delicious and I can't wait to try it. Thanks again!
Trudie E. December 13, 2015
Are the sprouts raw in this dish?
Josh C. December 13, 2015
Hi Trudie, yes the sprouts are raw in this dish.