Grilled Romaine Salad is a perfect dish with a simple twist on a Caesar salad. A grilled romaine salad is simple, fresh and stunning. Hearts of Romaine lettuce grilled on hot pan and drizzled with a delicious dressing of olive oil, black pepper, balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese. This trendy and sophisticated yet easy-to-make menu is perfect for celebrating a cool, crisp fall evening with friends.
Hearts of romaine lettuce are tender, innermost leaves – sweet/ subtle in taste, more delicate, brighter in color, crisp in texture and milder in flavor than the outer leaves. Garden-fresh vegetables and herbs are the perfect additions to these simple, crisp greens that welcome creamy dressings, vinaigrettes or the drizzle of artisan olive oil to top off your salad.
Grilled Romaine Salad goes exceptionally well with a pesto Caesar dressing, garlic croutons, pine nuts and shredded parmesan cheese. There are a variety of dressings of your choice that can be used over the grilled romaine salad. This dish is natural, refreshing and gives excellent earthy flavors. Hearts of Romaine is an excellent source of vitamin K which promotes blood clotting and wound healing.
Generally lettuce is classified into various categories with the most common being:
Romaine: Also known as Cos, this variety of head forming lettuce has deep green, long leaves with a crisp texture and deep taste.
Crisphead: With green leaves on the outside and whitish ones on the inside, this variety of head lettuce has a crisp texture and a watery, mild taste. The best known variety of crisphead lettuce is iceberg.
Butterhead: These types of lettuce feature tender large leaves that form a loosely arranged head that is easily separated from the stem, a sweet flavor and a soft texture. The best known varieties of Butterhead lettuce include Boston and Bibb.
Leaf: Featuring broad, curly leaf varieties that are green and/or red, the leaf lettuces offer a delicate taste and a mildly crispy texture. Best known varieties of leaf lettuce include green leaf and red leaf. Not all lettuce is created equal, but if you start your meal with a salad made of romaine lettuce you will be sure to add not only a variety of textures and flavors to your meal but an enormous amount of nutritional value.
Lettuce is synonymous with salads as they are primarily made from crispy green lettuce leaves. Most varieties of lettuce exude small amounts of a white, milky liquid when their leaves are broken. This "milk" gives lettuce its slightly bitter flavor and its scientific name, Lactuca sativa derived from the Latin word for milk. Romaine lettuce is actually a very nutritious food as its extremely low calorie content and high water volume.
Based on its nutrient richness, it is an excellent source of vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene), vitamin K, folate, and vitamin C. Romaine lettuce also emerged from our ranking system as a very good source of dietary fiber and 4 minerals.
To prepare the grilled romaine salad, firstly have the ingredients prepped before you start grilling as this comes together very quickly. Preheat grill to 400 degrees. Wash and half 2 heads of romaine lettuce. Brush halves with some olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of hot chili flakes. Grill for about half to one minute or until the lettuce halves are just starting to char.
Just keep watchful eye on it, even better if there are some libations on hand! Tear the herbs and toss everything in a large bowl. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar onto the salad and shower with some freshly grated parmesan cheese over it. 3 large servings.
Give sandwiches extra crunch (and nutrients) by garnishing with lettuce leaves. Sturdy hearts of romaine become marvelously smoky on the grill, for a unique riff on Caesar salad that's a delicious accompaniment to grilled steak. This salad is amazing! The grill chars some of the leaves until crisp while others are in different stages of wilt.
Let the romaine cool a little before tossing it with the other ingredients. You could also toss the greens with grilled fruit, salty cheese, cooked protein, crunchy croutons — really the possibilities are endless. For extra-smoky flavor, grill the lemon before making the vinaigrette.
Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin K, folate, and vitamin C. In addition, romaine lettuce is a very good source of dietary fiber, molybdenum, manganese, potassium, and iron. It is also a good source of vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and copper.
Enjoy Cooking!