BLT sandwich is probably one of the best-known classic sandwiches throughout the world.
Served in bars, parties or at dinners for over a century, it is a very simple, but all the more delicious sandwich. The name is quite straightforward, it describes the main ingredients: BLT is made up of the initials of the words Bacon – Lettuce – Tomato. I.e. a BLT sandwich has bacon, lettuce, and tomato as main ingredients.
What is not included in the name, but it is of course an indispensable ingredient of any BLT sandwich, is the classic white bread. A real BLT sandwich is never made with buns, ciabattas, baguettes, or any other types of fancy bread. Just use the good old, somewhat sweet, sliced white bread, and you’re good to go.
And to top it all, the ingredients are held together by a good splash of delicious mayonnaise. But make sure to continue reading and see my recommendations on the ingredients below.
Ingredient Tips For The Perfect BLT Sandwich
Here are a couple of tips on what makes a BLT sandwich really delicious.
As mentioned above, use regular white bread. Of course you can experiment with other types of bread, but that won’t be a classic BLT anymore.
Use “real” tomatoes that are ripe. The reason this sandwich will be incredibly delicious is because of the perfect harmony of the few ingredients (remember: B, L, T), but only if they are of good quality. Unfortunately, on the other hand, you will only get an imitation taste-wise if you use greenhouse-grown, hard tomatoes.
If possible, use the best quality bacon. It should be smoked, under no circumstances cooked, and if possible it should not contain water. Look for the ingredient list on the packaging, and avoid any meat product that contains water. The bacon is the key ingredient of this sandwich, let it have its characteristic smoky taste shine through the dish!
Add a little salt to the sandwich. Although it is a matter of taste, store-bought bacon is unfortunately only the shadow of what it used to be just a few decades ago. If it’s not salty enough, some extra salt will make your BLT much more delicious.
Of course, you can change the ratio of the ingredients according to your taste. Or you can even make it with 3 slices of bread and a double layer of bacon-lettuce-tomato, as is often the case these days.
And the mayonnaise. It’s the essence of the whole sandwich. Homemade mayonnaise made according to your own taste is the best. If you buy store-bought, Hellman’s or Heinz is my recommendation.
Perfect, Crispy Bacon
To have perfectly cooked, crispy bacon slices, it’s best to cook them in the oven.
Preheat your oven to 375F (190C), and cook the bacon slices for 12-15 minutes, depending on their thickness and how crispy you want them.
If you don’t have a wire rack, use an aluminum foil folded up like an accordion. To see this tip and more on how to cook bacon in the oven, click on the link.
Some More Tips
For some weird reason, square-shaped sandwiches like BLT always look fancier when cut in half diagonally and served as a triangle. Of course, you are the boss of your BLT, so serve them in the shape that you prefer.
The portions given in the recipe are for 1 BLT sandwich. Perfect for dinner or a party, the quantity depends on what else you’re serving. In general, you can count with 1-2 sandwiches per person.