BLT with Shrimp Salad

A couple of years back a regular client of mine requested that I add another salad to her summer lunch party menu. This client threw several parties a year, and usually liked to serve 3 or 4 salads on the buffet. One or two salads, like the Caesar, always made an appearance, but we liked to keep coming up with new and seasonal salad choices, too. As you can imagine, I had to continually search and be creative in order to keep offering a selection of new ideas each time.

In grazing through my cookbook collection, I came upon a take on the classic Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich, the BLT Salad (from Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers ) – so simple, but an inspired idea.

Of course, in those days of cooking for large groups of people, I never wanted to cook for myself afterwards, so I devised meals from what was leftover for the couple of days following parties. I had some grilled corn from one of the other salads, and loving shrimp as I do – well, it was easy progression to come up with this wonderful and easy summer dish – the BLT with Shrimp Salad.

I used a varied selection of cherry and beefsteak tomatoes, both red and yellow, and as many different kinds of baby salad greens as I could find at my farmer’s market, because, yes, we eat with our eyes first. And a best quality applewood thick sliced bacon, because especially when a dish is so simple, it’s important to use the finest ingredients one can find in order for the dish to shine. The last wonderful component of the salad was the home made Green Onion Ranch Dressing. All of it adds up to being perfect for hot summer days when tomatoes and corn reign!

Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Salad with Shrimp

For each salad serving:

• A couple of large handfuls of mixed salad greens
• 5-6 large shrimp, tossed with freshly ground pepper and a seasoned salt and sautéed
• A selection of cherry, halved, and beefsteak type tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 strip of thick cut applewood smoked bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2-3 tablespoons of grilled corn kernels
• A couple of tablespoons of Green Onion Ranch Dressing

Green Onion Ranch Dressing

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup green onions, minced
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/8 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
•  1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.