Cesarin Peruano

Caesar Salad with Spicy Huacatay Dressing

When I first moved to California, I felt like Caesar salads were everywhere, boxed up at takeout cafés and arranged on pretty plates in fine dining restaurants. I figured there must be something in the flavors that people really like, so I went back to my kitchen and started playing around. I love the way this whole salad turned out, especially the dressing. The huacatay, or Peruvian “black mint,” and ají amarillo peppers give the dressing a big, almost mint-and-basil-like kick, and the grilled lettuce can stand up to the intense flavors in the dressing.

Boquerones, or white Spanish anchovies, are the caviar of anchovies and have a mild, lightly salty flavor. You can substitute the regular brown anchovies you find in most grocery stores, but start with half the amount—they can be pretty salty. The size of baby romaine and even the large heads varies, so let your eyes be the judge on how much you need.

• 4 or 5 thin slices rustic country bread, cut into 2 or 3 pieces each
• Olive oil, for grilling
• 6 to 8 heads baby romaine lettuce, or 2 or 3 large heads romaine
• Spicy Huacatay-Caesar Dressing (recipe)
• 10 to 12 boquerones or white anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
• Parmesan, for shaving

1 Prepare a regular or hibachi grill for direct, high-heat cooking. When the grill is hot, toast the bread for a few minutes until crispy, flipping once. Brush the bread lightly with olive oil.

2 Halve the romaine heads lengthwise and blot them dry with paper towels. Brush the leaves lightly with olive oil and grill the lettuce, cut-side down, until charred and just beginning to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and grill the opposite sides until the leaves are charred in spots, no more than 30 seconds. Don’t overcook the lettuce or it won’t hold its shape. (If using large heads of romaine, you may want to roughly chop the lettuce after it's grilled.)

3 In a large bowl, toss together the grilled romaine and about ⅓ cup of the dressing. Taste, and add more dressing if you’d like, or serve it on the side. Transfer the salad to a serving platter or individual plates and scatter the anchovies and a few generous shavings of Parmesan on top. Serve the grilled crostini alongside.

Spicy Huacatay-Caesar Dressing

Makes about ½ cup

Remember this dressing when you have huacatay in the freezer or luck into the herb at the farmers’ market. I use roasted garlic in the dressing, but you can substitute fresh garlic if you don’t have any already made. Adjust the amount of ají amarillo paste to make the dressing as spicy as you’d like.

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons ají amarillo paste, store-bought or homemade (see page 34), or more to taste
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 small anchovy fillets, rinsed
• 4 large cloves roasted garlic, or 1 small fresh garlic clove, smashed
• 1 tablespoon thawed frozen huacatay leaves (see page 31), chopped, or 2 packed tablespoons minced fresh huacatay
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• Kosher salt

In a blender, combine the lime juice, vinegar, ají amarillo paste, Worcestershire sauce, egg yolk, anchovies, garlic, huacatay, and Parmesan and puree until smooth. With the blender on, very slowly drizzle in the olive oil so the dressing emulsifies. Taste, season with salt, if needed, and add a little more olive oil or ají amarillo paste, if you’d like. Use right away, or cover and refrigerate the dressing for up to 1 day. Let the dressing come to room temperature and shake or stir it well before using.