There is a time and place for big chunky croutons with their chewy-crunchy texture, and then there is right now, when we want to see showers of crisp bacon-y panko fall all over every last corner of our salad. It stays wondrously crunchy (even when riding on top of tomatoes) and brings the rich flavor of bacon with it, pairing supremely well with creamy buttermilk and dill-packed dressing. The key here is layering the lettuces and tomatoes to ensure every bite is well-seasoned and coated with seasoned panko and cool dressing. Call it a BLT salad, call it ranch salad; it’s got just enough going on for us to call it dinner. Thanks to BA’s VP of video programming, June Kim, for inspiring this recipe. —Chris Morocco
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What you’ll need
Salad Spinner
$40 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Medium Skillet
$50 At Amazon
Citrus Juicer
$20 $15 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
½
⅓
2
2
1
½
6
1
3
1
Preparation
Step 1
Vigorously whisk buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, and ¼ cup dill in a medium bowl to combine; season dressing with salt and pepper. Set aside for serving.
Step 2
Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring often as it begins to crisp, until browned and mostly crisp, 6–8 minutes. Keep bacon in pan and spoon out all but 2 Tbsp. fat into a small bowl.
Step 3
Add panko to skillet and return to medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until panko is golden and crisp, about 2 minutes (don’t walk away; panko will toast slowly at first but can easily burn around edges of skillet). Add up to 1 Tbsp. fat in bowl back to pan if breadcrumbs look dry. Remove from heat, add remaining ¼ cup dill, and toss to combine. Season breadcrumb mixture with salt and pepper and transfer to a medium bowl.
Step 4
Arrange one third of lettuce on a platter and top with one third of tomatoes; season with salt. Generously drizzle some reserved dressing over and scatter some breadcrumb mixture on top. Repeat layers 2 more times. Top salad with an extra shower of breadcrumb mixture, then lemon zest.
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Reviews (16)
Back to TopGreat salad for a brunch. Refreshing, crunchy, savory yet light. A little precarious to serve big lettuce leaves but it looks dramatic on a serving plate that way - some folks ate each lettuce folded up like tacos, some went the fork and knife route. I used regular seasoned Italian bread crumbs and skipped the salad since they had some already - delicious topping of crunchy bacon and crumbs that would be good on many salads.
Katy
Seattle
3/24/2024
This is a killer recipe!!! I halved the recipe and did 2 instead of 3 layers. Used romaine, arugula and cherry tomatoes. Can't wait to make again!!!
Lynn K
Ventura, CA
5/8/2023
Made this tonight to go with salmon for my husband's birthday dinner. Everyone LOVED it. We all had seconds, & the 4 of us finished it all. I added chives as recommended in other reviews, and plan to make it an entree salad in the future by adding sliced chicken breast.
Daphne
Lakewood, OH
8/18/2022
Yum! Added chives to the dressing. The bacony breadcrumbs are so good! Made a second time for lunch and added a sliced hard boiled egg and some rotisserie chicken to make it a full entree salad.
SpatulaCity123
Los Angeles
7/10/2022
Oh wait it’s in with the crumbs! Sounds delish, can’t wait to try it!
Mrs. G
Santa Rosa
7/4/2022
The recipe doesn’t say what to do with the bacon…I guess you layer it with the tomatoes?
Mrs. G
Santa Rosa CA
7/4/2022
with Gluten Free PANKO Bread Crumbs !!
Anonymous
Las Vegas
7/2/2022