BLT with Fried Red Tomatoes and Shrimp Remoulade
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 1 hr 40 min (includes salting time)
- Active: 1 hr 10 min
Ingredients
8 strips applewood-smoked bacon
Shrimp Remoulade:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup finely diced celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Hot sauce, optional
Fried Red Tomatoes:
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 plum tomatoes, sliced into thick rounds
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated pecorino Romano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Assembly:
4 thick slices pan de mie, toasted
Butter lettuce leaves, for serving
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lay the bacon on a baking sheet. Bake until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then the strips cut in half crosswise.
- For the shrimp remoulade: Heat the canola oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper, and add to the pan in a single layer. Cook until just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Spread the shrimp, with their juices, on a plate and chill until cooled. Once cool, chop coarsely.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, horseradish, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, lemon juice, celery, parsley and some hot sauce if using. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside 1/3 cup of the remoulade for spreading on bread. Fold the chopped shrimp and their juices into the remaining remoulade and mix until combined. Chill while you make the tomatoes.
- For the fried red tomatoes: Line a wire baking rack with several layers of paper towels and place over a baking sheet. Salt the tomato slices lightly on both sides and let sit on the paper towels for 30 minutes, turning halfway through, to drain of excess liquid.
- Whisk together the buttermilk and eggs in a small shallow dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, pecorino, garlic powder, cayenne and onion powder in a medium shallow dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a high-sided medium skillet over medium heat until almost smoking; add a few bits of cornmeal to test the temperature. Season the tomatoes with pepper and dip them in the buttermilk mixture, allowing the excess to drain off; then dredge them in the flour mixture, tapping off the excess. Fry the tomatoes until golden brown and crisp, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes total. Discard the paper towels from the rack and set the fried tomatoes on the rack to drain. Sprinkle with salt and parsley.
- To assemble the BLT: Spread some of the reserved remoulade on each piece of toast. Top with some lettuce, a generous amount of shrimp remoulade, some bacon and a few slices of fried tomato. Serve immediately, with knives and forks.