This recipe is actually a copycat recipe of my favorite salad from a restaurant I used to work at in Huntington Beach, California. I know it is not the only grilled romaine ever made, but it was the first time I had ever seen grilled lettuce as a salad. Grilled lettuce? Yes, it is a weird concept but a delicious innovation. The restaurant was called Chimayo, and the food was New Mexican cuisine, hence the southwestern spin on a caesar salad. After my first taste of the grilled salad it soon became a staple for my pre/post shift meal.
Since the restaurant closed in 2010 I have searched for a similar grilled romaine salad. There have been a few grilled caesars around town, but all had a traditional style of caesar dressing, nothing like the garlicy- cilantro rendition of a caesar dressing I came to love. So I eventually came up with my own dressing and corn relish topping. It may not be exactly the same as Chimayo’s Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad, but it tastes similar to how I remember it.
This salad is great as a side dish or a main course. The best part is the cilantro caesar dressing and tomato-corn relish can be prepped before hand, so just the lettuce is all that is left to grill up! Not to mention the simple clean up! As a main dish this salad can be topped with any meat of choice. Grilled seared ahi or blackened shrimp(pictured) are among my favorites! Grilled blackened chicken breasts or a nice piece of flank steak are also great toppers to this grilled caesar!
Grilled Romaine Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Large Heads of Romaine
- 2 Tbsp Avocado oil or olive oil
Tomato-Corn Relish
- ½ C Grilled Corn
- ½ C Roma Tomatoes diced & seeded
- ¼ C Red Onion diced
- ⅓ C Red Bell Pepper
- ⅓ C Roasted Pepitas or Pumpkin seeds, more is needed in dressing below
- ¼ C Lime Juice 1-2 limes squeezed
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp Pepper
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Chili Powder
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne Powder
Cilantro Caesar Dressing
- 1 C Cilantro
- 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- ¼ C Avocado Oil or olive oil
- ¼ C Roasted Pepitas
- ¼ C Cojita Cheese queso fresco could also work
- ¼ C Plain Greek Yogurt
- 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 tsp Anchovy Paste optional
- 1-2 Tbsp Water as needed
Instructions
- Heat up the grill, and have the flame at a medium heat. Shuck the corn and add it to the grill. While that is grilling start chopping the vegetables for the the Tomato-Corn Relish (the pepitas can begin roasting if needed, see note below) . Dice and deseed roma tomatoes, red bell pepper, and red onion, add to a bowl. Once the corn is cooked and fire kissed slice kernels off the cob and add to the mixture along with the pepitas. Add seasonings garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne powder, salt and pepper. Add the lime juice and toss. Set the relish aside.
- For the Cilantro Caesar Dressing add all the ingredient into a food processor or blender. Blend until you see the cilantro full incorporated into the dressing. Add water by the tablespoon if necessary to thin out the sauce.
- For the Grilled Romaine, cut the heads in half and rinse thoroughly. Chop or peel off any unwanted leaves. Lay the heads flat and drizzle avocado oil on the halves. Add each half to the grill facing down. On medium to high heat grill the lettuce for about 7 minutes. Grill the back side if desired. Try not to let the leave get wilty, the gutter leaves should be flamed kissed and there should be light grill marks along the romaine half. Once the romaine heads are lightly fire roasted assemble on to a plate topped with Corn Relish and Cilantro Caesar Dressing. Steak knife necessary.
Notes
