Of all the salads I had ready to share on the blog for salad month, this one for MIso Caesar Salad with Crispy Panko Topping was by far our favorite. It was inspired by one at a local restaurant and is crazy good, exploding with umami flavors. (After Hurricane Beryl I considered calling it “Miso Sick of Gulf Coast Weather Salad,.”)
The base of the salad is little gem lettuces, which I’m usually able to find at Kroger:
I love their pretty little ombre green leaves:
I like to sprinkle a tablespoon or so of fried onions or shallots over the salad, which I buy at the Asian grocery store. These are great to have on hand to add to your dishes for a little extra zhuzh:
The dressing is, of course, the key to this salad, but the crispy panko topping takes it next level. If you don’t keep white miso on hand, I strongy suggest doing so — it lasts a long time in the refrigerator, and like Brylcreem, a little dab’ll do ya.
- For the crispy panko topping:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- For the miso caesar dressing:
- 2 oil-packed anchovies
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (preferably Kewpie)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons miso paste
- Juice of 1 small lemon
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the salad:
- 3 heads little gem lettuce
- ½ teaspoon white sesame seeds (optional)
- ½ teaspoons black sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tablespoon prepared fried onions or shallots (optional)
- To make the crispy panko topping: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and cook until the panko is browned and crispy, stirring constantly and taking care not to let it burn. Remove from heat, allow to cool briefly, then stir in red pepper flakes and parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To make the miso Caesar dressing:
- Using a mortar and pestle, pound the anchovies into a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and add the grated garlic, mayonnaise, miso paste, lemon juice, and pepper, and whisk until smooth.
- To make the salad: Cut the bottoms (and tops, if necessary) off of the lettuces and separate the leaves. Add lettuce to a large shallow bowl. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the dressing over the lettuces and toss to combine (adjust the amount of dressing to your taste). Top with the crispy panko topping. Sprinkle sesame seeds and fried onions or shallots, if using, over top, and serve.
Lightly dressed and awaitng the topping
One of the best, and easily the most umami, salads I’ve ever made