My Perfect BLT with Basil Mayo

Summer is BLT season and while you can wing the recipe all summer long, this specific combination of ingredients and simple techniques makes my favorite BLT to date. Spoiler alert: it’s all about salting ripe af tomatoes and using my BASIL MAYO. Oh - and half of the battle is how you layer and distribute the ingredients evenly so you get a little bit of everything in every bite! Salting the tomato slices concentrates their flavor and draws out their moisture, which means they'll be wildly flavorful without making your sandwich too soggy - it's genius! Follow this recipe to a T or just use it as a helpful guide of tips and tricks for a perfect BLT every time.

As a note, I am *kind* of a purist and recommend that you only make this in the summer when tomatoes are in the peak of their season and super flavorful. Watery, bland, out-of-season tomatoes just aren’t as fabulous here and I don’t think they are worth the effort here. Fun fact: BLTs have been my number one pregnancy craving, and I waited until I could find perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes for the inaugural BLT of the season. Worth. The. Wait.

My Perfect BLT with Basil Mayo

Summer is BLT season and this is my favorite take on the classic to date. Spoiler alert: it’s all about salting sliced tomatoes and using my BASIL MAYO. Follow this to a T or just use it as a guide as needed. Makes 2 sandwiches.

Prep:
10
min
cook:
15
min
total:
25
min
Ingredients
  • 1 very ripe large tomato or 2 medium-sized very ripe tomatoes, such as heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes
  • Kosher salt
  • 6 slices thick-cut bacon
  • 4 slices toasted bread, medium thickness - sourdough or any type of bread you love on a sandwich
  • at least 1/4 cup cup Basil Mayo, more if desired
  • 4-6 pieces leafy lettuce, such as butter lettuce, romaine, or Boston bibb
  • Flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper for assembling
Instructions

Slice + salt the tomatoes

  1. Slice tomatoes into thick rounds using a serrated knife. Arrange on paper towel lined plate. Season both sides of tomatoes with kosher salt and let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Crisp the bacon

  1. While the tomatoes are salting, crisp the bacon. If you have a go-to method, use that! My preferred method is the cold-pan method when working with only a few slices. Add bacon slices in a single layer to cold skillet (preferably cast iron). 
  2. Turn heat up to medium and cook until the bacon just starts to brown on one side, flip bacon, and continue cooking, flipping occasionally, until bacon has developed a beautiful browned color and has begun to ripple throughout. Transfer to paper towel lined plate. Once cooled, break each bacon slice in half to more evenly distribute it throughout the sandwich.

Assemble sandwiches

  1. Spread 1 tablespoon of Basil Mayo on one side of each piece of toasted bread. Use more as needed!
  2. To the bottom half of each sandwich, add 2 pieces leafy lettuce, and 3 crisped bacon halves.
  3. Pat tomatoes dry with paper towel and distribute between the 2 sandwiches. Sprinkle with flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper. 
  4. Top tomatoes with remaining bacon halves followed by the remaining lettuce, and other slice of bread.
  5. Slice in half if desired and enjoy immediately!
Let's riff

Comment

Did you love this? Let me know!

Name
Email
Message
Thanks for contributing to our community! Your comment will appear shortly.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Maggie Covington
April 27, 2024
Gene Penny
April 21, 2024
Hilario Druitt
April 17, 2024
Tilly Killough
April 16, 2024
Jeannine Turner
April 13, 2024
Alvin Goold
April 7, 2024
Dean Baader
April 6, 2024
Frank Hardie
April 5, 2024
Elvira
April 4, 2024
Aleisha Lee
March 31, 2024
Noreen Stretch
March 28, 2024
Sherman Cruz
March 25, 2024
Ludie Key
March 23, 2024
Gini
March 20, 2024
Loved the soup. Croutons too much trouble. Fast in a cup!
Ray Beall
March 16, 2024
Richard
February 22, 2024
send me fruits to add with another fruit to cure disease
Deneen Medland
April 17, 2023
Kelle Trouton
April 17, 2023
Caroline
January 23, 2023
I made this same amazing salad with the following additions: I used a bed of chopped romaine hearts, and squeezed the juice of all the trimmed cara cara oranges, plus 1/2 lemon, added a drizzled of Tupelo honey on top. The herbs: chopped fennel fronds and mint. Everyone went crazy for it!
Marcus
YUM! Definitely going to pair this with a nice and funky natty white next time!
Caroline
January 23, 2023
I made this same amazing salad with the following additions: I used a bed of chopped romaine hearts, and squeezed the juice of all the trimmed cara cara oranges, plus 1/2 lemon, added a drizzled of Tupelo honey on top. The herbs: chopped fennel fronds and mint. Everyone went crazy for it!