BLT Salad for dinner tonight! Make with ripe tomatoes, crispy bacon, green beans, and sweet corn.
When farmers markets abound with colorful, heirloom varieties of tomatoes, it’s time to seize the day.
With tomatoes this good, you could easily sit down to a plate of them for dinner every night without a hint of boredom, but why not have at least one other trick up your sleeve?
Think of this salad as a deconstructed BLT with some corn and fresh green beans thrown in for good measure.
Leftover grilled or boiled corn is always looking for a home, so make use of it here. Otherwise, you can quickly microwave a couple of ears.
And here’s another corn trick: Contain the mess of scraping the kernels off the cob with the help of a bundt pan or a small, flat-bottomed bowl set upside down inside a larger one.
Set the bottom of the ear on the spike in the center of the bundt pan, or on top of the upside down bowl, and slide a sharp knife down the ear. The kernels fall into the larger bowl without flying to every corner of your kitchen.
BLT Salad with Buttermilk Dressing Recipe
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons finely sliced chives
For the salad:
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut in half
- 1/2 pound green beans, preferably haricots verts, ends trimmed
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 to 4 heirloom tomatoes of varying colors, sliced into thick rounds
- 2 medium ripe avocadoes, sliced
- Kernels from 2 medium ears of cooked corn (about 2 cups)
- Leaves from 1 head Boston lettuce, or salad greens of your choice
Method
1 Make the dressing: In a bowl, combine shallots, salt, pepper, vinegar, and lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes to tame the raw flavor of the shallots.
Whisk in the buttermilk and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the chives.
2 Cook the bacon: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
3 Cook the green beans: Fill a bowl with ice water and set it near the stove. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil.
Add the beans to the boiling water. Let the water return to a boil and then cook for 4 minutes, or until tender. With a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the beans to the bowl of ice water. Swish around in the cold water for 1 minute.
With a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle with the olive oil and salt to taste. Toss together.
4 Assemble the salad: On one big platter or on 4 individual plates, arrange the lettuce leaves. Arrange tomato and avocado slices on top of the lettuce. Place the green beans around the salad and top with the bacon.
Drizzle the salad with the dressing, or serve the dressing on the side. Sprinkle the salad with more salt and pepper, if you like.
