Tomato sandwiches are part of my daily routine in the summer. My preference is open faced with well-toasted sourdough, lots of Duke's mayo, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and some mix of black, Aleppo, or red pepper, chipotle chili powder, Old Bay, or sumac. I kind of rotate through the various flavors adding whatever feels right for my mood.
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Because they require actual cooking and a couple more ingredients, BLTs are reserved for the times I crave a little more from my sandwich. The best BLTs have a little too much tomato, lots of mayo, and enough lettuce to at least give the vibe of eating a proper vegetable. Done right, it's a delightfully messy sandwich that requires a napkin or two at the ready – if not a knife and fork – to handle the moment when the sandwich inevitably collapses into a (delicious) pile.
But, if you make the sandwich into said pile from the start, the flavors and excess juices are free to mingle and meld. There's no rush to get it all into your face before the bread yields to its burden. A BLT salad is something you can linger over, each bite composed and ready to be savored.
BLT Salad
Because this is a salad that wants to be a lot like a sandwich, the proportions are a little decadent. There are lots of bacon fat-crisped croutons, a one to one ratio of lettuce to tomatoes, and plenty of crisp bacon. In keeping with the elegant simplicity of the classic sandwich, there's also a 2-ingredient mayo dressing made with a splash of sherry or white wine vinegar.
This salad is all about peak tomato flavor, so be sure to use the most ripe, delicious tomatoes you can find.
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