This Grilled Romaine Salad is topped with grilled Maitake Mushrooms—and tossed in a Furikake Caesar dressing that comes together in 20 minutes! Vegan-adaptable.
Here is a hearty vegetarian salad, perfect for summer. Lightly grilling romaine lettuce gives a beautiful smoky char, and together with the grilled earthy mushrooms and the incredible Furkake Ceasar Dressing, it’s a flavor bomb! Furikake is a Japanese seasoning made with flecks of seaweed and sesame seeds that you can make or buy, and you’ll find many uses for it!
Why You’ll Love This
- Quick & easy! Ready in just 20 minutes with simple ingredients.
- Vegan-adaptable. Skip the anchovies and sub miso paste and vegan mayo.
- So much flavor! Smoky romaine with “meaty” maitake mushrooms and umami-rich Japanese-inspired Caesar.
What are Maitake Mushrooms?
- You’ll recognize Maitake Mushrooms by their blossom-like appearance, roughly the size of a tennis ball. Surprisingly, they are quite meaty, so I usually pick up one large one for the two of us.
- I’ve been finding them locally at our farmers market, so start looking there.
- And if you can’t find Maitakes, don’t fret, pick up some shiitakes or even portobellos to use instead.
Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce head: This sturdy lettuce grills beautifully, getting nicely charred and tender while holding shape.
- Maitake mushroom: One large mushroom, about the size of a large orange. Check your local farmers market! Or sub shiitakes or portobellos if needed.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Or use butter or a combo of both.
- Garlic clove: Peeled and smashed for rich, aromatic flavor.
- Garnish: Capers, chives (or other fresh herbs), and furikake seasoning
- Furikake Caesar Dressing: Mayo (or vegan mayo), rice wine vinegar, anchovy paste (or mash two anchovies or sub miso paste), fresh ginger, garlic clove, kosher salt, pepper, and furikake seasoning (optional)
How to Make Grilled Romaine Salad
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Step 1: Prep the maitake mushroom. Slice the mushroom in half through the stem end. Slice each half into 1/3-inch thick slices (about 6-8 slices). Heat oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Season oil generously with salt and pepper, add crushed garlic clove and swirl for 2 minutes, then remove.
Step 2: Pan sear mushroom slices. Sear each side of the mushroom slices until golden, tender, and slightly crispy (4-5 minutes each side). You can also grill the mushrooms.
Step 3: Make the dressing. If using whole anchovies, mash them with garlic and ginger using a mortar and pestle. Mix with remaining ingredients in a small bowl. If using anchovy paste (or miso paste), whisk mayo, vinegar, and paste until smooth, then add the garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Stir in furikake if using.
Step 4: Grill the romaine. Cut the romaine heart in half, brush or spray the cut side with olive oil. Place cut-side down on the grill and sear with the lid open. Char until grill marks appear (2 mins). Be careful not to overdue it or let the grilled lettuce collapse. You want the romaine to maintain crispness. Remove and transfer to two plates.
Step 5: Assemble. Divide mushrooms on top of each romaine half. Spoon dressing over top and sprinkle with capers and furikake seasoning. Scatter with fresh chives and serve immediately with a knife and fork. Parmesan cheese makes a tasty addition if desired!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this Grilled Romaine Salad as a side dish with grilled meat or fish, or on its own with some crusty bread or grilled corn for a delicious vegan main. Perfect for warm summer nights on the deck or patio.
- Perfect Grilled Salmon
- Grilled Branzino
- Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Asparagus
- Grilled Vegetables
- Homemade Sourdough Croutons
Tip: If serving a crowd, place the romaine on a large serving platter, drizzle dressing over the lettuce, and sprinkle mushrooms, capers, chives, and furikake on top. Season with black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!
FAQs
Pull away any drooping, loose outer leaves, then slice in half lengthwise so that the stem holds the leaves in tact.
We like to pan-sear the mushrooms so they cook more evenly, but you could toss them in a grill pan and prepare them that way if you prefer!
Yes! Romaine is packed with heart-healthy nitrate and offers a powerful combination of vitamin C, beta-carotene, folic acid, and potassium.
Maitake mushrooms are known for their immune-boosting properties thanks to high levels of beta-glucans. They are also very heart-healthy, known for regulating blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Cheers, and enjoy!
More Recipes for the Grill!
Grilled Romaine Salad
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: summer salad,
- Method: grilled
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Grilled Romaine Salad is topped with Maitake Mushrooms—and tossed in a Furikake Caesar dressing that comes together in 20 minutes! Vegan-adaptable.
Ingredients
- 1 large Maitake Mushroom (about the size of a large orange)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter or a combo of both
- 1 smashed garlic clove
- salt and pepper
- 1 large head romaine lettuce
- Garnish with capers, chives and furikake seasoning for sprinkling
Furikake Ceasar Dressing
- 1/4 cup mayo (or veganaise or vegan mayo)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste ( or mash two anchovies, or sub miso paste for vegan)
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
- 1 fat garlic clove- finely minced or grated (use a garlic press)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon furikake seasoning ( optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Grill to Med high.
- Slice the Maitake mushroom in half through the stem end. Slice each half into 1/3 inch thick slices. You should have 6-8 slices. Heat oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Season the oil generously with salt and pepper and add the crushed garlic clove, swirling for about 2 minutes until fragrant. Remove the garlic.
- Pan sear each side of the mushroom until golden, tender and slightly crispy. About 4-5 minutes each side. Set aside.
- Make the dressing: If using whole anchovies, mash them with garlic and ginger using a mortar and pestil. Mix with remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
- If using anchovy paste, whisk-mayo, vinegar, and anchovy paste until smooth. Add the minced garlic, ginger, salt and a few twists of cracked pepper. Stir in optional furikake seasoning and set aside.
- When the grill is hot, cut the romaine lettuce in half. Brush or spray the cut side of the romaine with olive oil. Place cut side down on the grill and sear, leaving the lid open. Sear just until grill marks appear, only about 2 minutes. You want to leave crispness in the romaine, so don’t overdo it or let them collapse. Remove it from grill and place on two plates.
- Divide the pan-seared Maitake mushrooms and place on top of each grilled Romaine half. Spoon the dressing over the romaine and mushrooms. Sprinkle with a few capers and the furikake seasoning.
- Scatter with some fresh chives.
- Serve with a knife and fork and devour immediately. 😉
Notes
Feel free to use sub portobellos or shiitake mushrooms. If using portobellos, you could grill them whole (brush with olive oil, salt and pepper) and slice. You can also grill the maitakes!
Make the dressing vegan by subbing vegan mayo and miso paste for the anchovies. You may need a touch more salt.
Shortcut: Mix store-bought Caesar dressing (1/2 cup) with one tablespoon furikake!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 384
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 642.1 mg
- Fat: 36.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.2 g
- Fiber: 7.2 g
- Protein: 6.4 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
So delicious, and it looks stunning too! I think it will make a nice appetizer for company. Thanks!
Yes great idea!
Easily one of the best salads I’ve ever had. Trying to figure out all the ways I can use this dressing because it is unreal.
Thanks Anna!
… the dressing is great over potato hash 😏
Good to know!
Wow! This was so surprisingly delicious and easy! Never though a romaine could taste so good. I used portobello though, and instead of anchovies, I put a bit of worchestershire + fish sauce and it stil came amazing! It was improvised this time, but the next I’ll surely try the original. Thank you so much!
(Just discovered your blog, and I’m super excited to try them all!)
Thanks Yoanna!
Delicious.
Yay! So glad you liked it!!!