The Ultimate Summertime BLT Recipe

The Ultimate BLT Sandwich Recipe

My childhood memories of summertime suppers are filled with BLT sandwiches, corn on the cob, and cool, refreshing glasses of iced tea, the kind that had condensation dripping down the sides of the glasses.

Farmer’s market fresh, sweet corn on the cob and red ripe tomatoes are what made, the hot, humid days of summer endurable. So I wanted to see if I could come up with the Ultimate Summertime BLT recipe that incorporated both of them, in one sandwich.

If you read that last sentence carefully, I’m imagining you cocking your head, as you contemplate putting corn on the cob in a sandwich. And it was a challenge, I’ll grant you!

It’s Like Summer Between Two Slices of Bread

But what came to me as I was imagining the Ultimate Summertime BLT was that corn brings sweetness, and a great sandwich incorporates all these elements: sweet, salty, savory, crunchy, and creamy. And fresh corn would add a welcome pop of sweetness to this sandwich.

But how to keep it from falling off the sandwich? Why not incorporate it into a savory, spiced-up mayonnaise based spread? Somewhere between an aioli and a remoulade.

The Secret Is the Sauce

So to my mayonnaise I added some finely minced garlic, some chopped basil, some smoked paprika, and some kernels of sweet corn: not cooked or anything. Just cut straight off the cob!

And why not, since I was going for Ultimate. Also, add in some creamy avocado slices? How bad could that be?

This amazing corn mayo spread will absolutely MAKE your sandwich.

I drizzled the bread (I used a crusty rosemary olive oil loaf) with olive oil, and threw it on my hot grill pan to give it some color and crunch. And here, you see the result of my efforts.

One more word of advice about creating the Ultimate Summertime BLT Sandwich: your sandwich will only be as good as the quality of your ingredients.

If you use a boring white sandwich bread, you’re already losing ground. Same with the corn, and the tomatoes: look for (if possible) heirloom tomatoes, that actually ~smell~ like a tomato!

Corn should be the thickest ear of corn you can find, and the husks should not look dried out: in my experience, the larger the ear, the sweeter the corn.

Stop at a farmer’s market, by all means, to find something grown locally.

The Ultimate Summertime BLT Sandwich

Ingredients:

8 slices of crusty bread, drizzled with olive oil, and toasted on a grill, or a grill pan
8 slices of bacon, fried the way you like it (Mine must be crispy!)
1 large tomato, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
4 leaves of Romaine lettuce

For Fresh Corn Mayonnaise:

1 c. mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 t. smoked paprika
6 basil leaves, chopped
1/2 t. lemon zest
1 c. fresh corn kernels, sliced off the cob

Mix all ingredients of mayonnaise together while your bacon is frying and your bread is grilling.

Spread grilled bread with Fresh Corn Mayonnaise as shown below, and then top with tomato slice, bacon, avocado, and lettuce.

Pair this with my fresh cole slaw recipe for the whole summer experience on a plate. Then end the meal with my amazing Vitamix peach ice cream recipe that whips up in minutes.