Hoda Kotb’s Favorite Way to Make Caesar Salad
It's no doubt we are big fans of the TODAY show crew here and we are especially fond of Hoda Kotb. She's like the perfect cup of coffee to wake up to every morning: she's high-spirited, energetic, in good taste and gets the creative juices flowing. As food lovers, we're always delighted by just how many of her ideas are cooking-related.
Anything Hoda eats, we want to eat. We gobbled up her 2-ingredient ponzu fish recipe and made a beeline to Trader Joe's to get the Ice Cream Bon Bons that she and her TODAY fourth hour co-host Jenna Bush Hager obsessed over. This summer, Hoda has delivered on a genius way to one of a classic summertime dishes, the Caesar salad, and we plan to use trick all of grilling season. Hoda revealed on the 4th of July episode of the TODAY show that her favorite way to make classic Caesar salad is to cook the romaine lettuce on the grill.
Related: Fully Loaded Grilled Caesar Salad
Why You Should Grill Romaine Lettuce for Caesar Salad
You may be thinking, why talk about Caesar salad on the 4th of July when you can talk about truly any other cookout food, like corn on the cob, burgers or hot dogs? Coincidentally, American Independence Day falls on the same date as the anniversary of the invention of the iconic Caesar salad. This year the iconic salad - composed of romaine lettuce cloaked in creamy dressing and dotted with croutons and cheese - turned 100 years old! In her toast to honor the dish, Hoda detailed how she makes a simple but elevated new classic Caesar, which is to take the whole head of romaine lettuce and grill it before it's dressed with salad dressing and the works.
Related: How to Make The Viral Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad with Two Ingredients from Sam’s Club
Grilling romaine lettuce for a Caesar salad (or any salad for that matter) enhances its flavor, adding smoky, charred and caramelized complexity that contrasts really well with the creamy dressing. The crispy outside and soft wilted inside of the lettuce from the grill proffers a more interesting and satisfying bite as you eat. The grilling technique elevates a classic Caesar salad, giving it a gourmet twist that's both delicious and visually appealing.
How to Grill Romaine Lettuce for Caesar Salad
Here's exactly how to grill romaine lettuce to make Caesar salad from Hoda herself: “You slice it in half; you drizzle it with olive oil, salt, and pepper; put it on the grill. Grill it, grill it, grill it, flip it, grill it, take it off. Put the Caesar dressing on it and some croutons. There’s nothing better.”
Up next: The Queen Elizabeth-Approved Way to Make Scrambled Eggs
