This salad will change the way you think about grilled vegetables. The grill keeps the lettuce juicy and crunchy but also imparts smoky, meaty flavors to the salad. Serve this one with a fork and a knife.
1teaspoonflake sea salt, such as Maldon or smoked Maldon
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Fire up. Prepare a grill for indirect cooking by placing a chimney full of pre-heated charcoal briquets on one side of the grill’s charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Adjust the grill vents to bring the temperature to about 350°F (176.7°C) on the indirect side. Add 2 to 3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor. On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that one half of the grill is off and the other half is heated enough to maintain a temperature of approximately 350°F (176.7°C) on the indirect side.
Prep. Mince the garlic and put it in a salad bowl along with the anchovies. Use the back of a fork to mash together the garlic and anchovy into a paste. Whisk in the mustard and egg yolk, and then whisk in 1⁄2 cup (118.3 ml) of the oil a little at a time until thickened. Squeeze in all the juice from the lemon (through your hands to catch the seeds), and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Whisk, then set aside.
Remove any loose leaves from the romaine and cut each head lengthwise into quarters. Coat the romaine quarters with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
Cook. Put the romaine quarters cut sides down on the grate directly over the fire and grill, turning once, just until grill marked, about 20 seconds per side. Using tongs, transfer the lettuce to the indirect side of the grill, positioning it cut sides up. Paint with half of the vinaigrette, getting the dressing down in between the leaves. Then shower with half of the cheese. Cover the grill and cook until the cheese just starts to melt and the ends of the lettuce wedges wilt, about 2 minutes.
Serve. Transfer the romaine to a platter. Dress with the remaining vinaigrette, a scattering of the remaining cheese, and a sprinkle of flake salt.