Wolfgang Puck Puts A Seafood Twist On The Classic BLT Sandwich With Shrimp

Chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck isn't afraid to put a spin on a classic dish — as is evident by the seafood twist that he puts on the classic BLT sandwich. While the BLT is known for containing just its eponymous ingredients — bacon, lettuce, and tomato — that doesn't mean that you can't occasionally add some other ingredients that will complement the basics well.

For Puck, those extra ingredients include shrimp. In his book, "Wolfgang Puck Makes it Easy: Delicious Recipes for Your Home Kitchen," the chef includes a recipe for Grilled Shrimp BLT with Shallot Cream Sauce and reveals the dish is a spin on one found on the lunch menu at his high-end Los Angeles restaurant, Spago.

Puck explains that he prefers using his panini grill first to cook the shrimp, then to toast the sandwich. However, if you don't have a panini press, Puck writes, you can still make a delicious sandwich. Instead, just sauté the shrimp in a pan on the stovetop and toast the bread in either the toaster or the oven. Additionally, Puck acknowledges that the shallot cream sauce (which the shrimp is stirred into) is the most time-consuming part of the recipe, so if you'd like to skip that step, you can replace the sauce with either mayonnaise or Russian dressing. If you prefer a sandwich that is less rich, you may want to follow this replacement anyway.

If you're not a shrimp fan, there's no need to worry — there are plenty of other ways to switch up a BLT. As Wolfgang Puck writes in his book, the seafood BLT at Spago often includes lobster instead of shrimp, so that may be the perfect place to start if you're looking for a non-shrimp seafood option.

But you don't have to stop at seafood to upgrade your BLT. You're missing out if you're not adding fried eggs to BLTs – the eggy flavor perfectly complements the three other ingredients and the runniness from the egg only enhances the texture of the sandwich. Another classic ingredient that fits right into a BLT is a slice of your favorite cheese. This addition is made even better if you turn the sandwich into a panini, as Puck advises in his cookbook. Other ingredients that will make the BLT even better include sliced avocado, bell peppers, or sprouts.

Additionally, another way to put a twist on the classic sandwich is to go for an unexpected condiment. For example, you could add hot honey (cayenne mixed with regular honey). If you're looking for something with heat without the sweetness, you could opt for spicy mayo. Or, a well-made aioli — such as a garlic aioli or a rosemary aioli — can go a long way in upgrading the taste.