Lemony Broccoli ‘Caesar’ Salad

This deceptively simple salad packs a punch on the flavour-front. Loosely based on the idea of Caesar Salad, I’ve used finely sliced broccoli in place of lettuce for a more substantial bite and put lemon front and centre, using both zest and juice. I can imagine this dressing going well on all sorts of things, from roasted vegetables to grain bowls and more.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 large head broccoli
Handfulflat leaf parsley roughly chopped
the finely grated zest 1 small lemon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/3 cup coarse gluten-free breadcrumbs
grated parmesan cheese extra

Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic peeled
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
pinch golden caster sugar optional
fine sea salt

Instructions

Finely slice broccoli; ideally using a mandolin, but a sharp knife will do as well. Peel the stalk and finely slice this too. Transfer to a large bowl, add chopped parsley and lemon zest
Heat a small frying pan over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic and cook for a few seconds before adding the breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring often until golden and crispy.
Combine dressing ingredients in a small blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and a touch of sugar, if using.
To serve, stir 2/3 of the dressing through the broccoli, extra grated parmesan (as much as you like!) and a little of the crumbs. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with the rest of the dressing and scatter over more crumbs. If you have extra crumbs, serve them alongside for guests to scatter over their portion themselves.

Notes

This recipe was originally created for and featured in On the Land magazine.