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Creole Salad of Cornmeal Crusted Tomato with Crisp Bacon and Rémoulade Dressing

This is just some of the food on Gail’s culinary tour to Charleston SC., October 11 to 15, 2012. If you’re serious about food, then a culinary tour is an experience you don’t want to miss.

Course Salad

Ingredients

  • ¼ lb Bacon, diced
  • 8 Slices of Tomato, ½-inch thick
  • ¼ cup Cornmeal
  • 1 tbsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
  • ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • ¼ cup Flour
  • 1 Large Egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water
  • 4 cups Lettuce, chopped fine
  • ½ cup Rémoulade Dressing

Dressing:

  • ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • ¾ cup Creole Mustard
  • 1 cup Olive Oil
  • ½ cup Green Onions, sliced thin
  • ¼ cup Parsley, chopped
  • ¼ cup Celery, fine diced
  • 1 tbsp Garlic chopped
  • 1 tbsp Paprika
  • to taste Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Salad:

  1. In a heavy sauté pan, sauté the bacon until some of the fat has been rendered and the bacon is cooked but not crisp.

  2. While the bacon is cooking, combine the cornmeal, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt in a small bowl.

  3. Dip each tomato slice in flour, then egg and finally in the cornmeal spice.

  4. Handle tomatoes gently so as not to damage the coating.

  5. Arrange the lettuce on salad plates or on a platter and drizzle the top with dressing.

  6. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and top the salad evenly.

  7. Pan fry the tomato slices in the bacon fat for 2 minutes each side, then place on top of the salad.

  8. Serve while the tomato and bacon are still warm.

Dressing:

  1. In a mixing bowl, mix together the vinegar and mustard.

  2. Add the olive oil slowly, whisking it until the three ingredients are blended well.

  3. Add the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

  4. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Will last in the refrigerator for 5 days.