Grilled Broccoli Caesar Salad

Why This Is Strictly Keto

A Caesar salad usually gets its carbs from croutons. Here the broccoli itself takes the place of the lettuce, and toasted chopped almonds with Parmesan supply the crunch. The dressing is built from mayonnaise, lemon, Dijon, anchovy and Parmesan with no sugar, so a serving has about 6g net carbs.

Ingredients

Broccoli

• 1 lb (450g) broccoli, cut lengthwise into thick 1-inch “steaks”
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Caesar dressing

• ¼ cup mayonnaise (no added sugar)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 anchovy fillets, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon water

To finish

• ¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup roughly chopped almonds, toasted
• Red pepper flakes and lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the grill: Heat a grill or cast iron grill pan to medium-high. If the broccoli stalks are thick, steam or microwave the pieces for 2 minutes first so they cook through.

2. Season: Toss the broccoli with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Char: Grill the broccoli for 4–5 minutes per side, until deeply charred in spots and tender at the thickest part of the stem.

4. Whisk the dressing: Whisk the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon, anchovy, garlic, grated Parmesan and water until smooth, adding a little more water if it is too thick to drizzle.

5. Toast the almonds: Toast the chopped almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.

6. Assemble: Arrange the hot broccoli on a platter, drizzle with the dressing and scatter with the shaved Parmesan, almonds and red pepper flakes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Nutritional Info (per serving, approximate)

Tips

• Cut the florets so each piece keeps some of the stem — flat sides give the best char.
• Dry broccoli chars better than wet broccoli; pat it dry after washing.
• Chop a few extra almonds fine and mix them with the Parmesan for a crumb-like topping.