Smoked Salmon BLT Sandwich

I make a mean ‘Adult’ Grilled Cheese sandwich – prosciutto, goat and couple of other cheeses, a smear of bacon jam, grilled to a beautiful golden, perfect for dunking tomato soup . I’m just not one of those people who routinely creates amazing sandwiches. Until now. This Smoked Salmon BLT is a big high-five, fist-bumping sandwich. It’s everything we crave in a classic Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich – salty Applewood smoked bacon, sliced tomatoes, crispy lettuce and like the Adult Grilled Cheese, this Smoked Salmon BLT is all grown up. 

I posted a recipe recently for Chickpea Tomato Cucumber Salad where I practically swore with my hand on a bible to eat healthier after overindulging on vacation (isn’t that the sign of a good one?) .

It started out fine, but my mind quickly went there – you know – gravies, creamy potatoes, rich brownies and BLT’s, but because my mind was still filled with visions of tasty Florida seafood, I decided to ramp up a classic with a little smoked salmon and oh.my.gosh.

The thick cut bacon holds its own against the burst of smoked salmon flavor and to bring it home ~ homemade dill mayonnaise. The only way this Smoked Salmon BLT could be better is with homegrown tomatoes. Summer can’t get here fast enough.

Ingredients for two Smoked Salmon BLT sandwiches:

• 4 slices of thick cut bacon (Applewood smoked was used)
• 4 slices of multigrain bread
• Leaf lettuce 
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 3 ounces of smoked salmon, thinly sliced

DILL MAYONNAISE

• ¼ cup of mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon of dill (fresh or dill can be used/same amount for either)
• Fresh cracked black pepper

Blend the mayonnaise, dill and about 3 turns of fresh-cracked black pepper in a small bowl and refrigerate. Wash the lettuce and slice the tomatoes so you’ll be ready to assemble when the bacon and toast are done.

COOKING THE BACON:

Do you have a designated bacon-cooker in your house? Maybe it’s you. In our house, it’s my husband. He loves bacon and makes it better than anyone else by practicing almost every Sunday with a big homestyle breakfast, so when I need bacon cooked, he’s the man to do it and here are his instructions:

1. Start by cutting the bacon strips in half for easier handling and more even cooking.

1. Heat the skillet over medium heat then add the bacon.  

1. Turn the bacon strips to allow them to cook evenly, removing them from the skillet onto a paper towel lined plate before each strip reaches your desired crispness (how crispy you like your bacon is personal preference). The bacon will continue cooking a little bit after it’s removed from the skillet (carry-over cooking).

Next toast the bread and begin assembling the sandwich:

Slather some of the dill mayo on one piece of toast then top with lettuce, tomato, bacon and smoked salmon. (Optional: slather a bit more dill mayo on the other piece of toast).

Enjoy!