Romaine Lettuce
Romaine is a sturdy, elongated lettuce with crisp ribs and a mild, slightly bitter flavor, best known as the backbone of Caesar salad and a popular wrap for grilled meats.
How to buy
Look for tight, upright heads with crisp, deep green outer leaves and no browning or slimy spots at the base. Heavier heads tend to be denser and less likely to have lost moisture. Avoid heads with heavy wilting or a strong bitter smell, both signs of age.
How to store
Keep whole heads unwashed in a perforated bag in the crisper drawer; they'll stay crisp for about a week to ten days. Once leaves are separated or chopped, wrap them in a dry paper towel inside a bag to absorb excess moisture and use within a few days.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Mild and slightly bitter, with sweeter, more tender leaves toward the pale inner heart and a more pronounced bitterness in the darker outer leaves. It's milder than arugula or watercress but has more character than iceberg.
- Texture
- Crisp and crunchy, especially along the thick white ribs, which hold up well to heavier dressings without going limp as fast as softer lettuces.
- Aroma
- A fresh, faintly grassy, slightly bitter smell with very little aroma otherwise.
How to prepare
- Chopped for salad — Cut crosswise into ribbons, the standard format for Caesar and chopped salads.
- Whole leaves for wraps — Used as a sturdy, crisp wrapper for grilled meats, herbs, and rice.
- Grilled — Halved lengthwise and charred briefly on a hot grill for a smoky, wilted salad base.
- Shredded as garnish — Finely shredded and piled onto tacos, sandwiches, or burgers for crunch.
Classic dishes
American
- Cobb salad — A composed salad of chopped romaine topped with egg, bacon, chicken, and blue cheese.
- Chef's salad — A substantial lunch salad built on a romaine base with deli meats, cheese, and egg.
- BLT sandwich — Bacon, tomato, and crisp romaine layered between toasted bread.
- Classic cheeseburger — A crisp romaine leaf is a common topping for added crunch under the bun.
- Grilled romaine salad — Halved heads charred briefly on the grill, then dressed like a warm Caesar.
Mexican
- Caesar salad — The iconic salad of romaine, parmesan, croutons, and a garlicky anchovy dressing, invented in Tijuana in the 1920s.
- Shredded lettuce taco garnish — Finely shredded romaine piled onto tacos and burritos for crunch.
Chinese
- San choy bau — Seasoned minced meat spooned into crisp lettuce cups for a hands-on starter.
Thai
- Larb lettuce cups — Spicy minced meat salad scooped up in sturdy lettuce leaves.
Mediterranean
- Romaine and herb salad with lemon — A simple salad dressed lightly with lemon and olive oil to let the lettuce's crunch shine.
Korean
- Korean ssam — Grilled meat like galbi or bo ssam wrapped in lettuce leaves with rice and sauce.
Vietnamese
- Bún thịt nướng — Grilled pork served over rice noodles, often wrapped in lettuce leaves with herbs.
- Nem lụi lettuce wraps — Grilled lemongrass pork skewers wrapped in lettuce with herbs and dipping sauce.
Middle Eastern
- Fattoush — A Levantine salad of romaine, toasted pita, and vegetables in a sumac-lemon dressing.
- Shawarma wrap garnish — Shredded romaine adds crunch inside pita or lavash shawarma wraps.
Cajun & Creole
- Po'boy sandwich — A Louisiana sandwich dressed with shredded lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise.
Substitutions
- Butter Lettuce — Softer and sweeter with less crunch; works for wraps but is less sturdy for Caesar-style salads.