Description
A Southern twist on the classic BLT, featuring crispy fried green tomatoes, peppery arugula, and salty bacon, all balanced with a creamy basil mayonnaise.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Sweet Basil Mayonnaise:
- 1 cup (240 ml) loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Sandwich:
- 16 (1/8-inch thick) slices bacon
- 8 slices country sandwich bread
- 1 cup (240 ml) loosely packed arugula
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Fried Green Tomatoes from Simply Recipes
- 3 medium, firm green tomatoes
- Salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning (optional)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk or buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) cornmeal
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) fine dry bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) peanut oil or other vegetable oil
Instructions
For the mayo
- In a food processor, puree the basil, mayonnaise, lemon juice and mustard. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
For the sandwich
- Place the bacon slices in a large nonstick saute pan set over medium heat and saute on both sides until crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate until ready to assemble the sandwich.
Fried Green Tomateoes
- Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt. Let tomato slices stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place in separate shallow bowls: the flour and Cajun seasoning (if using), buttermilk and egg, and bread crumbs and cornmeal.
- Heat the peanut oil in a skillet on medium heat. Beat the egg and the buttermilk together. Dip tomato slices in the flour-seasoning mix, then buttermilk-egg mixture, then the cornmeal-bread crumb mix. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 3-5 minutes on each side or until brown. Set the cooked tomatoes on paper towels to drain.
To assemble the sandwich
- Slather each slice of bread with a generous amount of the basil mayo. Top 4 of the bread slices with 4 pieces of crispy bacon, 2 fried green tomatoes and top with arugula. Finish by topping the sandwich off with the other slice of bread.
Notes
- For an authentic Southern taste, use fine white cornmeal.
- Buttermilk adds flavor but is optional.
- Leftover fried green tomatoes can be refried and served with mesclun greens and basil mayonnaise.
- Store the basil mayonnaise in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Sandwich
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 650
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 850
- Fat: 40
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 20
- Cholesterol: 60