![Fluke au Gratin](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/05/20/magazine/20mag-eat/20mag-eat-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Fluke au Gratin
Sam Sifton, Henri Charpentier
1100 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
1,100
30 minutes
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Combine the tomatoes, shallots and vinegar in a small bowl, and shower with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
Cook the bacon in a sauté pan until crisp on both sides, then drain on a paper towel. Crumble when cool, and set aside.
Make the dressing. Put half the cheese into a medium-size bowl, and mash with a whisk. Add the buttermilk, mayonnaise, olive oil, hot sauce, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, then mash and whisk the dressing until it is mostly smooth. You may wish for a little more hot sauce, lemon juice or Worcestershire, to taste. Then whisk again, and set aside.
Assemble the salad. Place one wedge of lettuce on each plate, and gently spoon dressing over it. Sprinkle each wedge with crumbled bacon, the dressed tomato halves, the remaining blue cheese and some minced chives.
Lower the calories without sacrificing taste by making the dressing with Greek yoghurt, lemon juice, chili minced, minced garlic and the blue cheese. A Nigella recipe that is a favorite.
Remove the small bit hard bit of stem. Run water through that end of the lettuce. Turn right side up and let drain. I set it on top of a large Pyrex measuring glass. You want to do this some time ahead of making the salad so it’s not wet. I like to do it right from the store, then wrap loosely in paper towels and store in a plastic bag or lettuce keeper. Hope this helps.
I have been eating blue cheese lettuce wedge salads for years and the best that I’ve tasted is at The Outback. Just lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion slices, bacon, blue cheese dressin, and a balsamic vinegar glaze that really puts it over the top. It goes good with the French fries too! It’s the only thing I eat there.
Cut the core out of the lettuce head at the bottom and then run water from faucet into the lettuce head where the core was cut out. Turn it over and let the water drain out. My mother's technique.
Old trick: "Slam" the iceberg lettuce on the counter, stem down. The stem will come right out cleanly. Then wash the lettuce using this spigot to get inside all the leaves. Drain the lettuce (missing) stem-side down. Voila.
My wife and i love wedge lettuce salads! But some years ago we started deconstructing them - slice the lettuce wedges into bite size pieces, mix well with blue cheese dressing (roquefort for the gussied-up version), portion onto plates, sprinkle toppings (chopped bacon, tomatoes, whatever). Easier to eat, dressing/lettuce evenly mixed, everyone loves, never any leftovers.
I seem to be in the minority, but I followed the recipe precisely as written and it was delicious. I'm not qualified to improve on it. Oh, it was really delicious.
I do this with Romaine Lettuce, cut in half and then grilled on flat side for a light char.
My husband can't stand blue cheese so I substitute feta with more hot sauce to give it the punch it needs. Dressing the tomatoes with vinegar and shallots is a nice addition. We will try that soon.
The best way to remove the core from a head of iceberg lettuce is to bang the hard core on the counter, breaking it from the rest of the head. Pull out the core, allow water to run into the space created by the removed core, invert and allow to drain.
To clean iceberg lettuce. Take large firm head of organic iceberg lettuce and remove uncrisp outer leaves. Inspect and remove icky stem end. With large chef’s knife cut head in half from stem to blossom end. Inspect and remove any not nice or beige parts. Rinse, drain. Cut each half in half to create wedges and trim as needed. Do not core or completely remove stem ends or wedges will fall apart. Proceed with recipe. Provide steak knives with salad to enjoy unstressed delicious crispy crunch.
Excellent recipe, I served on plates I had chilled beforehand.
Great “retro” salad. I made it exactly to the recipe. Reminds me of fancy dinners out in the 50s and 60s.
I've always cut in half and wash inside and out. Never had an issue. Let thoroughly dry before making the salad.
I made this last night...7/3/18, just as written and my husband and I oohed and ahed over it's deliciousness! It was perfect for the hot evening air and our steak. Thanks Sam!
Double the dressing!!! Great flavors.
Absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe as written; resulted in Wedge Salad perfection. Thank you Sam Sifton!
Leave bacon separate for vegetarian friends
This is so easy to “veganize” for those who dearly miss wedge salads. The bacon and blue cheese can now be replaced by vegan versions found in the grocery store, or can also be easily made at home using delicious plant-based ingredients. And thankfully, there are tasty vegan “blue cheese” dressings on the market if you don’t want to make your own. I serve this every time my vegan family members visit and it’s now their favorite salad.
I toasted up panko for a fun crouton effect
It’s great but I cut into eighths. You get a better dressing/lettuce ratio and it’s easier to handle two smaller sections on the plate.
I used a nice blue cheese, halved it as it was for two. Just excellent.
Removing the core, filling the head with water and then putting the whole thing in the fridge right side up over a bowl to drain for at least 30 min does greatly improve the crispness of the lettuce. Whatever water is still in the leaves is extra cold with this technique. I made up a dressing using a hybrid of this one and another from online because I wanted it to be a bit thicker. I upped the mayo and sour cream to equal parts and blended everything else in with an immersion blender.
Made it stronger tasting and made sure to incorporate the tomato and shallot vinaigrette juice over the wedge. Sharp. Pungent. Incredible. Paired the salad with tender eye of round sliced paper thin with my electric home food slicer. Melts in your mouth. Let’s do this again!
I love a wedge and this one is delicious! I started slicing the iceberg into discs vs the wedge. Everything stays in place and looks pretty on the plate!
I love the salad. I actually liked it more than I thought I would. I will make it again!!
Excellent dressing! I didn't have time to prepare separate plates with wedges, so cut the wedges into 3's threw all into large salad bowl, poured dressing on, added toppings ( doubled tomatoes) except the blue cheese crumbles and gave it all a few good tosses. Guests helped themselves and added their own blue cheese, it was a big hit and easy!
Add toasted hazelnuts! Yum!
lovely made with romaine
Steakhouse quality, with the exception of the tomatoes. Actually, it was the vinegar. Competed a bit with the dressing. In the future, I will just salt and pepper the tomato halves.
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