Turn your grill on and get ready for this delectable Grilled Romaine and Radicchio Caesar salad. The Classic Caesar salad is a staple just about in every single restaurant and one of my personal favorites. But this one’s a bit more modern and made easy by adding your favorite (homemade or bottled) Caesar dressing. So while your grill is hot and ready, throw your steaks on the left side and make this amazingly easy salad on the right. What could be better than that? And just like that, a steak dinner with a little something special without the effort.
I know grilling lettuce is nothing new, but before this salad, it just never appealed to me. Nothing better than a cold, crunchy salad was always my motto. One day, after buying some beautiful heads of Radicchio I was unsure what to do with them. I decided on grilling them also in hopes that it would also mellow the flavor but without completely cooking them. And to my surprise, it worked quite well. Then I decided to add the romaine to the grill to see what would happen. It also softened in flavor but grilling it also gave it a slightly sweet taste, a wonderful compliment to the radicchio. I’ve made the salad with croutons and with parmesan crisps as a gluten free option. In both instances they worked very well.
How to make the Grilled Romaine and Radicchio Caesar salad
To start, preheat your grill to medium high. Ensure your grill is clean and free from debris. To prepare the lettuce, wash and dry the lettuce thoroughly. Cut in half lengthwise and brush or spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper onto both the inside and outer leaves. For the Radicchio, if its a larger head, cut into quarters. If it’s a smaller head, cut in half and also brush or spray all sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Now we are ready to grill. You can cook directly on the grill or use a grill mat. Place the greens on the grill and turn about every minute or so. You want to start to see it soften and you will see some wilting and or grill marks. Depending on the size of the romaine lettuce head, it might be ready a few minutes before the radicchio. Keep turning and continue to keep an eye on them until they have softened a maybe a little wilted on some edges. Total cook time is about 5-10 minutes, again, depending on the size.
Place on the grill Turn every minute or so Keep turning until slightly wilted
Remove from heat and allow them to sit for about 10 minutes. They will continue to cook a bit, so don’t be alarmed if you see additional wilting. At this point, you can serve as is, in wedges or chop into larger pieces and toss together with the dressing, parmesan cheese, croutons or parmesan crisps if you prefer. Finish with fresh cracked pepper and serve. This Grilled Romaine and Radicchio Caesar salad is just the right amount of crispy, spicy, slightly sweet and bitter. And of course delicious!
Enjoy this delicious Grilled Romaine and Radicchio Caesar with our mouthwatering Two Ingredient Tri Tip Roast or your favorite steaks or pasta like Pasta with Chicken, Sun Dried tomatoes and garlic.
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
Grilled Romaine and Radicchio Caesar salad
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce cut in half lengthwise
- 1 head radicchio cut in quarters
- olive oil, extra virgin either spray or use brush
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 cup Caesar dressing approximate
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to medium high
- Ensure your grill is clean and free from debris.
- To prepare the lettuce, wash and dry the lettuce thoroughly. Cut in half lengthwise and brush or spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper onto both the inside and outer leaves. For the Radicchio, if its a larger head, cut into quarters. If it’s a smaller head, cut in half.
- Brush or spray all sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Now we are ready to grill. You can cook directly on the grill or use a grill mat. Place the greens on the grill and turn about every minute or so. You want to start to see it soften and you will see some wilting and or grill marks. Depending on the size of the romaine lettuce head, it might be ready a few minutes before the radicchio. Keep turning and continue to keep an eye on them until they have softened a maybe a little wilted on some edges. Total cook time is about 5-10 minutes, again, depending on the size.
- Remove from heat and allow them to sit for about 10 minutes. They will continue to cook a bit, so don’t be alarmed if you see additional wilting. At this point, you can serve as is, in wedges or chop into larger pieces and toss together with the dressing, parmesan cheese, croutons or parmesan crisps if you prefer.
- Finish with fresh cracked pepper and serve.
Leave a Reply