Buzz
Iceberg lettuce is a personal favorite. While it may not offer much in terms of flavor, its cool, crunchy texture elevates hearty salads packed with meats and cheeses (like the iconic wedge) and savory, mayo-laden sandwiches (think tuna salad). Sure, romaine brings more ‘flavor,’ but that flavor is just ‘leaf,’ and seasoning your sandwich greens is essential anyway.
I typically favor shredded lettuce, but Bon Appetit recently made a compelling argument for thick, well-seasoned iceberg ‘lettuce steaks.’ These 1 1/2-inch-thick lettuce planks add a satisfying crunch and, thanks to their ‘steak’-like shape, prevent the leaves from slipping off. Bon Appetit suggests seasoning them with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, though I think substituting red wine vinegar for the lemon would complement Italian meats beautifully.
You should definitely check out BA’s full guide and sandwich recipe here, but I’m planning to incorporate plenty of lettuce planks into my tuna and chicken salad sandwiches. (BLTs are also in the cards, though we’re still too early in the year for those.) BA’s instructions for making these planks are straightforward:
To prepare your steak, begin by resting
1 medium head of iceberg lettuce
on a flat surface with the stem end facing down. Slice off one rounded end to create a flat base, setting the rounded end aside (this will be your ‘snack lettuce’). Next, cut a 1½”-thick plank from the iceberg; if it’s too large for your sandwich bread, trim it to fit accordingly.
Once you’ve got your plank, drizzle it with a tangy vinaigrette and layer the seasoned lettuce onto a tuna salad sandwich, BLT, or even BA’s signature HLT (that’s ham, lettuce, and tomato).
