Caesar salad with Dublin Bay prawns

The original Caesar salad was created by an American restaurateur, Caesar Cardini, who developed it for the 4th of July celebrations in 1924. Apparently he added the dramatic flair of the table tossing by the chef. Surprisingly his recipe didn't include anchovies, but to me they are crucial.

SERVES 4–6

  • 2 large cos lettuces, separated
  • into leaves
  • 75g (3oz) freshly grated Parmesan,
  • plus a little extra to garnish
  • 20–30 large Dublin Bay prawns,
  • cooked and peeled
  • FOR THE PARMESAN CROUTONS:
  • 175g (6oz) country-style bread,
  • crusts removed and cut into 1cm
  • (½in) cubes
  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 25g (1oz) freshly grated Parmesan
  • FOR THE DRESSING:
  • 1 x 50g (2oz) tin of anchovy
  • fillets, drained
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ tsp dry English mustard powder
  • 150ml (¼ pint) rapeseed oil
  • sea salt and freshly ground
  • black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/gas mark 2).

2 To make the Parmesan croutons, place the bread cubes in a baking dish and drizzle over the oil, then season generously. Toss until well combined and bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and scatter over the Parmesan. Return to the oven and bake for another 20–25 minutes, until crisp and golden brown, stirring occasionally. These can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container.

3 To make the dressing, mash 3 anchovy fillets to a paste and place in a food processor with the egg yolk, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder and black pepper to taste (½–1 teaspoon is about right). Blend together until well combined, then with the machine running, pour the oil through the feeder tube in a slow trickle.

4 To serve, tear the lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Add enough of the dressing to just coat (not drown) the leaves, then fold in the Parmesan. Toss to combine, then transfer to wide-rimmed serving bowls, scatter over the Parmesan croutons and add the remaining anchovies. Arrange 5 prawns on each salad and garnish with a little more grated Parmesan.


Tuna Niçoise

I recently came across Shines of Killybegs Irish-caught tuna, which is sold in jars and tins, packed in olive oil. It’s now readily available in some supermarkets thanks to a joint initiative with Bord Bia that helps to get small artisan producers to a larger market. It is just super stuff and absolutely the best preserved tuna I’ve ever tasted. It’s all albacore tuna, which is one of the smaller species of tuna, reaching sizes somewhere between skipjack and yellowfin, which tend to arrive off the Irish coast in the late summer. Albacore tuna is one of the most sought after fish around the world, so it’s wonder ful to see it under an Irish brand.

SERVES 4

  • 12 small waxy potatoes (such as
  • Nicola)
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 100g (4oz) extra-fine French beans,
  • trimmed
  • 4 Little Gem lettuce hearts, quartered
  • lengthways and separated
  • into leaves
  • 4 ripe plum tomatoes, roughly
  • chopped
  • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 anchovy fillets, drained and cut
  • lengthways into thin strips
  • 250g (9oz) Shines Irish-caught tuna
  • in olive oil, drained
  • 16 pitted black olives in brine, drained
  • 8 fresh basil leaves, torn
  • FOR THE DRESSING:
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • pinch of caster sugar
  • sea salt and freshly ground
  • black pepper

1 Place the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water, cover and simmer for 15–18 minutes, until just tender. Drain and leave to cool completely, then cut lengthways into quarters.

2 Place the eggs in a small pan and just cover with boiling water, then cook for 6 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water, then remove the shells and cut each egg into quarters.

3 Plunge the French beans in a pan of boiling salted water and blanch for a minute or so, then drain and refresh under cold running water.

4 Arrange the lettuce leaves on plates or one large platter and add the potatoes, French beans, tomatoes, red onion and anchovies. Scatter over the tuna, then add the quartered eggs, olives and torn basil.

5 To make the dressing, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and sugar in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper or shake together in a screw-topped jar. Drizzle over the salad to serve.