Caesar Salad-Inspired Breadcrumbs Are The Flavorful Finishing Touch Your Meals Deserve

Breadcrumbs are the key ingredient to everything from chicken cutlets to gourmet macaroni and cheese toppings. Not only do they bring crunch to a dish, but breadcrumbs are also a blank slate for any flavor pairing you can imagine — and Caesar dressing should be the next inspiration for your breadcrumb seasonings. A classic Caesar salad has few ingredients, relying on the dressing itself to do the heavy lifting.

While some Caesar dressings (including the original recipe) use Worcestershire sauce for a kick of umami, the reason Caesar salad at restaurants tastes so good is because it boasts tinned anchovies. Anchovies or anchovy paste has the salty, umami-rich flavor that many dishes use as a secret weapon. To that effect, even Giada De Laurentiis spikes her breadcrumbs with anchovies for a flavorful punch. Along with anchovies, garlic and parmesan are also the most prominent elements of a good Caesar dressing, and should definitely be a part of your salad-inspired breadcrumbs. Garlic will amp up savoriness and spice, while parmesan will elevate breadcrumbs with a salty nuttiness and even more crunch. 

The salty, savory, and spicy bite from the anchovies, parmesan, and garlic needs also some aromatic acidity. In Caesar dressing, we would add lemon juice, but for the purposes of crispy breadcrumbs, lemon zest is ideal. Finally, since olive oil is the fat at the foundation of Caesar salad dressing, a high-quality olive oil should likewise be the base of the seasoning blend when making Caesar salad-inspired breadcrumbs. Ina Garten swears by olive oil to boost the texture of breadcrumbs, too.

You can make breadcrumbs from scratch with a food processor or by hand; the key is to start with a high-quality loaf of bread. Of course, you can always pick up a package of pre-made breadcrumbs at the grocery store for a head start. No matter what type of breadcrumbs you use, however, the Caesar dressing treatment should include anchovy paste, garlic, parmesan, and lemon zest. 

Since you should treat breadcrumbs like a cut of meat when cooking them, a blend of butter and olive oil is the flavorful combo to help blend the seasonings, infuse the breadcrumbs, and crisp them into golden brown perfection. So start by adding olive oil and butter to a sauce pan over medium heat, before adding anchovy paste and grated garlic to fry until fragrant and then tossing in the breadcrumbs. Once the breadcrumbs have turned golden brown, you can take them off the heat and stir in the lemon zest and parmesan cheese. 

Caesar salad-inspired breadcrumbs are the perfect topping to all sorts of salads. You can use them in a Caesar salad (instead of croutons) for a heightened umami flavor and more even crunch, but these breadcrumbs would also work well in a Greek or even wedge salad. Otherwise, use them as an elevated garnish for your favorite pasta dishes, from a simple spaghetti marinara to cacio e pepe. They'd also certainly play well with the bitter-yet-caramelized flavors of roasted brussels sprouts or broccoli.