As the weather gets warm each year, a crisp cold salad feels supremely refreshing.  At our house this spring/summer of 2022, we owned the tradition of the Wedge Salad.  Serving this many times and looking forward expanding it’s possibilities each time with the changing seasons.

Typically iceberg lettuce is not our go to for salads, as it is not super flavorful.  But its’ saving grace is it’s amazing crisp crunch that makes it wonderful in sandwiches, mixed in with other greens in salads, and of course, as the star of the crispy wedge salad. 

It all started this year with the desire to make candied bacon and then find ways to use it by looking thru the fridge, pantry, and even the liquor cabinet.  The meal of candied bacon BLT’s, Bacon Bourbon Manhattans and the canfied bacon wedge salad was born.

The wedge salad has gotten mixed reviews over the years, beginning strong in the early 1900’s, losing favor for a period and then showing up on almost every steak house menu since the 1980’s to today. 

What is great about this salad is everything that is draped over the lettuce.  Traditional items like bleu cheese crumbles, tomatoes, and bacon, give the perfect combo of sweet, fresh, funky, salty and crispy – one could argue that it would be a perfect bite.

Slight modifications for each season could be fun. Summer could bring a green goddess dressing with the bleu cheese crumble, avocado, tomato, corn and crispy fried onions and crushed croutons.  Transitioning into fall with julienned apple and roasted cubes of squash.

Winter could bring shaved radishes and roasted beets. And finish off the spring with some shaved asparagus, fresh peas, and microgreens. Really – your imagination is the limit.

Or we could keep it classic and just fancy up the bacon with a little candying.  Either way – a shout out to the iceberg wedge for being the base of this delicious salad.

Wedge Salad

Ingredients:

• Head of iceberg lettuce
• Crumbled bacon (or candied bacon)
• Tomatoes (cherry, grape, heirloom, or tomato of you choice), diced
• Bleu Cheese Crumbles
• Bleu Cheese Dressing
• Croutons

Preparation:

Prepare all of your ingredients that you would like to top the salad.  Cut the bottom stem off the lettuce and prop the lettuce up on that bottom end.  Cut the lettuce head straight down the center.  The cut each half into 2 – 3 wedges, depending on how large you would like the salads to be.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and then top with all ingredients of your choosing and they will start to stick to the dressing. 

Happy Chopping!!!

**Experimental Spoon Original – based on every Wedge Salad ever.