Grilled Cabbage Caesar Salad | Saveur

On this summery, trendy tackle a Caesar salad, flame-kissed savoy cabbage replaces the same old romaine. It’s the proper foil for garlicky bread crumbs, aged pecorino, boquerones, and a citrusy anchovy French dressing.

Yield: serves 4 to six

Time:

1 hour, 40 minutes

For the cabbage:

• 2 small heads Savoy cabbage (about 2 lb.), quartered, cores left hooked up
• 1 tbsp. kosher salt
• Freshly floor black pepper
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad:

• ¼ cups finely chopped garlic (from about 10 cloves), divided
• ⅓ cups contemporary lemon juice
• ½ cups contemporary orange juice
• 1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp. finely grated orange zest
• 6 oil-cured anchovy fillets, mashed right into a paste with a fork
• 1 tbsp. capers, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. golden raisins, finely chopped
• ½ cups plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly floor black pepper
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup finely grated pecorino romano (2½ oz.), plus extra for garnish
• 3 marinated white anchovies, aka boquerones en vinagre (non-compulsory)

Directions

1. Make the cabbage: On a rimmed baking sheet, place the cabbage lower aspect up and sprinkle with salt and black pepper to style. Drizzle with the oil and rub every wedge to coat on all sides. Let sit uncovered for the salt to penetrate the leaves, about 35 minutes.
2. In the meantime, make the French dressing: In a medium bowl, stir collectively 1 tablespoon of the garlic, the lemon juice and zest, orange juice and zest, oil-cured anchovies, capers, and raisins. Very slowly whisk in ½ cup of the oil till the dressing is sheeny and thickened barely. Season with salt and black pepper to style and put aside.
3. To a big skillet set over medium warmth, add the remaining oil and three tablespoons of the garlic and cook dinner, stirring steadily, till pale golden, 1–1½ minutes. Stir within the panko, season with salt and black pepper to style, and switch the warmth to medium-low. Prepare dinner, stirring steadily, till pale golden and crisp, 5–7 minutes. Take away from the warmth and put aside. (If the pan could be very scorching, switch the crumbs to a baking sheet to stop burning.)
4. Prepare dinner the cabbage: Set a grill pan or heavy-bottomed skillet over excessive warmth. When the pan is smoking, add the cabbage lower aspect down. Prepare dinner, turning often, till charred throughout, 10–12 minutes. Utilizing tongs, switch to a big heatproof bowl and canopy tightly with plastic wrap. Let steam till the cores are tender when pierced with a paring knife, 15–20 minutes. When cool sufficient to deal with, lower every wedge crosswise into 2-inch chunks and return to the bowl. Add the pecorino, reserved French dressing, and half of the reserved panko combination and toss to coat.
5. To serve, switch the salad to a platter and sprinkle with the remaining panko combination, black pepper to style, and extra pecorino. Drape with white anchovies if desired. Serve heat or at room temperature.