If you want to have a great Caesar salad, you’ll need great Caesar dressing. Why roll the dice on store-bought or restaurant Caesar when you can make the perfect Caesar dressing at home?
Most Caesar dressing recipes call for anchovies, but we’ve found that using fish sauce is actually better. Here’s how to make Caesar dressing with no anchovies – using fish sauce instead.
Fish Sauce vs. Anchovies
One of the most key ingredients in traditional Caesar dressing is the anchovies. This gives a strong fish flavor and plenty of mouth feel or umami. Umami is hard to describe, but when it hits your tongue, your tongue responds by watering. It’s an odd sensation.
But I’m here to tell you that anchovies are actually not the best way to make this dish. The better method is to use fish sauce. Fish sauce is not sauce meant to season fish, as you might expect, but actually a fish-flavored liquid used in some dishes that need… fishy-ness.
If you think that sounds gross, you are not alone. Fish sauce smells like you just walked into an outdoor fish market with that distinct stink. But somehow, when added to a properly portioned Caesar dressing, it turns into the perfect complement to lettuce, croutons, and parmesan cheese.
Fish sauce has a stronger flavor than anchovies and keeps longer in the refrigerator. It is overall cheaper to obtain and easier to work with. I’ve tried it both ways and I am of the opinion that fish sauce is the superior way to make Caesar dressing.
Red Boat fish sauce is the brand that we recommend because it doesn’t add sugar and other unnecessary ingredients. Red Boat fish sauce contains only anchovy and sea salt – making it the most pure and healthy version of fish sauce that we could find.
What You’ll Need to Make Caesar Dressing Using Fish Sauce and No Anchovies
Caesar dressing has eight ingredients. Once you have them, all you have to do is mix them together and you’re done!
For a more creamy dressing, you can add in oil at the end. You do this by pouring it in slowly while briskly whisking it (of blending if you are using a blender). This will result in emulsification which will increase the thickness and creaminess of your dressing. I choose to skip this step because it adds calories from the oil and is, in my opinion, entirely unnecessary.
I like to use a whisk to combine ingredients because is does a better job than a spoon at dissolving the mayo.
As always, organic ingredients are preferred as they are less likely to be tainted with harmful pesticides. They often taste better too.
Ingredients
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon Mustard
- Lemon Juice
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Fish Sauce
- Garlic Powder
- Salt
- Pepper
Notes
Be careful what brand of Worcestershire you use. When I compared the HEB store brand to Lea & Perrins, I found the store brand to have a very strong black pepper taste that was absent from the Lea and Perrins. However, the HEB brand cost less than half the price. Personally I prefer the Lea & Perrins brand for this recipe.
When calculating calories, it is easy because 100% of the calories in this recipe comes from the Mayo.
Some people like to add grated Parmesan cheese to the dressing. This takes some of the bite out of the acidity and also adds a nice grainy/chewy texture. But this also comes with added calories, so feel free to experiment with what works best for you.
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Whisk until fully combined and smooth.
Enjoy!
Caesar Dressing Using Fish Sauce and No Anchovies
Description
Classic Caesar dressing uses anchovies, but there is a better way to make it that doesn’t make use of this pungent fish. Here’s how to make a perfect Caesar dressing every time. All you need to do is combine these eight ingredients and you’re done! Makes 2-4 servings.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/8 cup Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
Instructions
Combine all ingredients and enjoy!
Notes
For best results, use Red Boat brand fish sauce as well as Lea & Perrins brand Worcestershire.
Emulsify with 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil at the end if you want to make it more thick and creamy in texture.
Mixing with a spoon makes it difficult to break up the clumps of mayo – use a whisk to save time.