I’ve been craving Caesar salads like crazy lately. That creamy, garlicky dressing with crisp lettuce and crunchy croutons? It just makes me feel things inside. As I was putting one together the other day, I couldn’t help but wonder—what would it look like if I made this Caesar a little more like me? Staying true to my roots, I wanted to see if I could give this classic a Vietnamese twist. I started doing a little R&D in my kitchen, and I realized something: traditional Caesar dressing relies on anchovies for its depth of flavor, and in Vietnamese cuisine, that same depth often comes from one iconic ingredient—fish sauce. So, I swapped the whole anchovies for a high-quality fish sauce, and ended up creating probably the best Caesar salad I’ve ever had. Now the best part? This Fish Sauce Caesar Salad is so easy to recreate!
Classic Caesar dressing typically leans on canned or jarred anchovies to build its iconic umami foundation. Now, if you didn’t know, at its core, fish sauce is made from two main ingredients: anchovies and salt. So technically, we’re not straying far from tradition at all—we’re just more closely adapting it to my own palate. By substituting fish sauce, especially one with a clean, balanced flavor like my Dear Mam Fish Sauce, we get all the umami we need, but with even greater complexity. There’s a subtle sweetness, a deep salinity, and that unmistakable funk that adds soul to every bite due to the fermentation process.
One thing to note: because fish sauce is already packed with sodium, I omit other forms of salt in this recipe entirely. It keeps everything in check, so the final result is bold and flavorful, but never overpowering.
Now, to really drive the Vietnamese flavors home, instead of traditional croutons, I repurpose a leftover Vietnamese baguette. These baguettes are lighter and airier than your typical French loaf, which means that when you toast them, they turn extra crispy and shatteringly crunchy. Croutons are typically made with some garlic oil, but instead, we’re opting to toss them in scallion oil. That hit of aromatic green onion and oil-soaked crunch gives every bite of salad a taste that’s unmistakably inspired by home. It’s the kind of topping that might steal the spotlight—and honestly, I’m not mad about it.
This post is part of a collaboration with The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). All opinions…
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