Equipment
Ingredients
Main Components
- 60 g thick-cut bacon
- 2 bread, sliced
- 30 g mayonnaise, room temperature
- 80 g tomato, thickly sliced
- 30 g iceberg or romaine lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried
- black pepper
- salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 514 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbohydrates
- 47 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 1918 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 14 g
- Potassium
- 185 mg
- Calcium
- 42 mg
- Iron
- 1.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 31 mg
- Phosphorus
- 65 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 116 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin E
- 4.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 58 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Thiamin
- 2.68 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.32 mg
- Niacin
- 4.7 mg
- Folate
- 38 mcg
- Water
- 75 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the bacon slices in a cold skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook, flipping occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
While the bacon cooks, toast the bread slices. You can use a toaster, or for extra flavor, toast the bread directly in the skillet using 10g of the rendered bacon fat until golden brown.
Spread an even layer of mayonnaise on one side of each toasted bread slice. Place the tomato slices on a cutting board and season them lightly with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Layer the dried lettuce over the mayonnaise on the bottom slice of bread. Top with the seasoned tomato slices, followed by the crispy bacon. Place the second slice of bread on top, mayonnaise side down. Slice the sandwich in half and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- The quality of a BLT hinges almost entirely on the tomato. Only make this sandwich when you can source a ripe, heavy, in-season tomato.
- Seasoning the tomato slices directly with salt and pepper is a small step that dramatically elevates the overall flavor profile of the sandwich.
- Using iceberg or romaine lettuce provides the necessary structural crunch that contrasts with the soft bread and juicy tomato. Delicate greens like spinach do not work well here.
- If you want to elevate the sandwich further, try mixing a small amount of minced garlic or fresh herbs into the mayonnaise before spreading.
Storage
Troubleshooting
Soggy bread
Cause: Wet lettuce or watery tomatoes soaked into the toast before eating
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Thoroughly pat lettuce dry and place it against the mayonnaise layer to protect the bread from tomato juices
Chewy, unevenly cooked bacon
Cause: Pan was too hot at the beginning, sealing the fat inside rather than rendering it
Fix: Return to skillet over medium-low heat to render further, watching closely to prevent burning
Prevention: Always start bacon in a cold skillet and heat gradually
Cultural Context
The BLT gained massive widespread popularity in the United States following World War II. Its rise coincided with the rapid expansion of supermarkets that made fresh produce like lettuce and tomatoes readily available year-round. Today, it remains a quintessential American diner staple, celebrated for its perfect architectural balance of salty, savory, fresh, and creamy elements.
