Juicy BLT

By Clare de Boer

Published August 27, 2019

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(1,257)
Comments
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The success of a BLT hangs in its balance of salt, acid, lusciousness and crunch. This version is perfect, with a generous swipe of mayonnaise on each slice of toast, followed by a drizzle of olive oil, tomatoes marinated in red wine vinegar and salt, butter lettuce leaves and thick-cut bacon. Squash this closed and eat while the bacon is still warm. BLTs are often associated with summer, but the vinegar here coaxes flavor and brings brightness to hothouse tomatoes, turning it into a sandwich for all seasons.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 sandwiches

  • 8 slices thick-cut, smoked or unsmoked bacon, or 16 slices thin-cut bacon

  • 2 heirloom tomatoes (in summer season, in winter use smaller vine tomatoes)

  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

  • 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • Flaky sea salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 slices good white bread (medium thickness, boule is preferable), heavily toasted

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise

  • 6 butter lettuce leaves

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

33 grams carbs; 88 milligrams cholesterol; 932 calories; 32 grams monounsaturated fat; 22 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 78 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 1320 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Working in batches if necessary, fry bacon in a large skillet over high heat until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large cutting board.

  2. Step 2

    While bacon cooks, slice tomato crosswise into thin rounds. Transfer to a plate and marinate with red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Spread toast generously with mayonnaise on one side, follow with remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil.

  4. Step 4

    Divide the tomatoes with some of their vinegar marinade among 2 slices of toast. Top with the lettuce.

  5. Step 5

    Lay the bacon on the remaining slices of toast. Form sandwiches by piling the bacon-topped slices on top of the remaining toasts. Squeeze to close, cut in half and serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,257 user ratings
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Comments

Holly

The tomatoes are always between the bacon and the lettuce so the hot bacon does not wilt the lettuce. Place the lettuce first.

George

Although I love slices of tomatoes in sandwiches, often the tomato skin is not fully torn through with a bite and much of the tomato is pulled out with a bite. Before placing in the sandwich, I slice the skin of the tomato slices radially around the edges so that the skin tears easily with a bite of sandwich, eliminating the pullout of the entire tomato slice.

Lance

I *love* the tomatoes atop the mayonnaise: it’s one of my favorite tastes. So while hot bacon might wilt lettuce, it’s worth it. You can also let the bacon cool a touch too.

JB in MI

This was a winner! Not a huge mayo fan. Followed the advice in some comments to blend fresh basil with the mayo. Took it a step further with a bit of minced garlic and parm. Then used the flavored mayo to pan fry the bread for toast. The marinated tomatoes were the ⭐️ of the sammy!

Kathy W

This is wonderful as written, but if you are not a purist and want to bump it up a notch, try adding either Boursin or fresh mozzarella for a cool and creamy texture.

lesjobry

One of my favorite memories of growing up on a small farm in Illinois with a summer bumper crop of tomatoes were the BLT's and marinated tomatoes. This combines the best of both. Just add a fresh ear of corn...heaven!

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