Mexican Caesar Salad
Mexican Caesar salad is a twist on a classic and can be served as a side dish or as a main dish. Crisp romaine, sweet corn, creamy avocado, and sliced jalapenos tossed together in a creamy cilantro Caesar dressing. Serve it as is, or add a protein like grilled chicken or shrimp for a light and easy dinner.
Caesar Salad with a Kick
There is classic Caesar salad, and then there is this Mexican Caesar salad, which is a fresh and spicy play on the original. It’s fresh, crisp, and full of flavor and texture. Basically, my ideal kind of salad.
The star is the salad dressing recipe. It’s garlic-y, savory, and creamy, like the classic, but with a hint of cilantro to bring a fresh vibe to go with the theme. It’s a dressing you can use for all sorts of things, not just this salad! Use it as a dip or spread, too.
I’m sharing a basic version here but consider it a canvas. You can add to it or switch things to make it any number of different dishes. Add a protein to make it a filling main dish salad, switch up the add-ins to change the flavors and textures, or use it to make all the bowls or sandwich wraps you like. There are a lot of opportunities with this Caesar salad recipe, friends.
How to Make It
This salad is a quick 20-minute assembly operation. Blitz the dressing, prep the veggies, and then toss it all together.
More Salad Recipes
Santa Fe Salad | Steak Caesar Salad | Parsnip Salad | Taco Salad | Mexican Fruit Salad
PrintMexican Caesar Salad
Mexican Caesar salad is a twist on a classic and can be served as a side dish or as a main dish. Crisp romaine, sweet corn, creamy avocado, and sliced jalapenos tossed together in a creamy cilantro Caesar dressing. Serve it as is or add a protein like grilled chicken or shrimp for a light and easy dinner.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Salads
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Mexican-American
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise (see note)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pinch salt
For the Salad
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup corn (see note)
- 3 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 jalapeno, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced or cubed
Instructions
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a large bowl, toss the chopped romaine with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- To assemble, divide the chopped romaine between two plates and top with corn, parmesan cheese, jalapeno, and avocado. Drizzle the dressing over the top – you will probably have extra dressing which will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.
Notes
The dressing is on the thinner side so if you want it thicker you can add more mayonnaise or you can add some thick Greek yogurt to thicken it up. Leftover dressing will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
If you have access to really fresh corn when it’s in season you can clean the cobs and slice the kernels off the cob and add them to the salad raw. If you’re not sure how fresh the corn is (or how much it’s been handled) I recommend sauteeing it in some olive oil first and then cool it before adding to the salad. Or, use thawed frozen corn if you don’t have fresh.
Nutrition
- Calories: 591
- Sugar: 6.1g
- Sodium: 412.1mg
- Fat: 55.6g
- Saturated Fat: 9.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 43.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 22.7g
- Fiber: 8.7g
- Protein: 8.2g
- Cholesterol: 19.5mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Variations
It’s great as a side dish, but you can turn it into a main dish pretty easily! Here are some ideas:
- Make it a chicken Caesar salad and add sliced grilled chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken. Add some crispy tortilla strips, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), or croutons for extra crunch. You could also add cooked shrimp.
- I love to use the salad as a filling for a wrap. Add some chicken (or not) and roll the salad up in a large flour tortilla or other wrap. Save some of the dressing to use as a dip on the side.
- Make a Mexican Caesar salad rice bowl with cooked rice, add all the salad components along with black beans, chicken, crushed tortilla chips, or fried corn tortillas, and drizzle the salad dressing over the top.
While we’re at it, let’s make pineapple agua fresca to go with this summery, fresh Mexican Caesar salad. Bonus points if you add some chips and salsa and some guacamole, too.
Happy salad-making,
