By Pamela Walker, writer and local farm and food activist (www.GrowingGoodThingsToEat.com)
“The problem with a BLT, my friend Neil opined, is that there’s always too much bread and not enough bacon,” says Melissa Clark in the introduction to her recipe “The BLT, as You’ve Never Seen It,” which appeared in the NYT about a month ago.
I’ve often had that very same thought but never imagined a BLT as a taco until I read Clark’s recipe and tried it. I like it! Just about all of the ingredients or suitable substitutes are available in the market, minus only the avocado.
BLT Taco
Yield 4 servings
Time 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered (mixed colors are pretty here)
- 1 small jalapeño, seeded or not, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 ½ teaspoons Cholula or other hot sauce, or to taste, plus more for serving
- 8 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
- Romaine lettuce leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 avocado, sliced (optional)
Preparation:
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay bacon in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until browned and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool.
- While bacon is cooking, toss together tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice and a large pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Taste and add more lime juice and salt, if needed.
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and hot sauce.
- Lay a clean kitchen towel in a medium bowl. Using the open flame from a stove-top gas burner (or in a skillet placed on an electric burner), warm and lightly char tortillas, 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Transfer warmed tortillas to a towel-lined bowl, and cover with towel to keep warm while you finish remaining tortillas.
- Serve, letting people make their own tacos by layering bacon, salsa, lettuce, spicy mayonnaise and avocado, if using, on tortillas. Top with more hot sauce, if desired.