Crispy Avocado BLT Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette and Spicy Ranch Drizzle

I officially love salads.

So what if this salad has crispy fried avocado, ranch, bacon and cheese? Don't care. It's all served in moderation so I still consider this a healthy meal option. Avocados are good fats, remember?

I've seen recipes for fried avocados before, and I'm not exactly sure why it's taken me so long to hop on the bandwagon. These were delicious as a salad topping but could also be great as an appetizer served with mayo a dipping sauce of some kind. The trick here is that your avocado can't be too ripe otherwise it will fall apart. Another secret of the pros is to use paper plates/bowls for your frying goods to make for much easier clean up.

If frying scares you, don't let it! It just requires a few simple steps:

Flour, egg, Parmesan and panko

Salt-N-Pepa

Dredge in flour, egg and then Parmesan panko mixture

Fry in hot olive oil

Let drain on a paper towel

Your food should be a vehicle for condiments, and this salad has two. Since the honey-lime vinaigrette is the main star here, I don't feel too bad that this salad has a little ranch drizzle on it. Moderation, people. I'm refusing to eat a salad with only one dressing from here on out.

Crispy Avocado BLT Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette and Spicy Ranch Drizzle 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the crispy avocado:

1 whole avocado, semi-firm, not mushy

Pinch of salt and pepper

⅓ cup flour

1 whole egg beaten

½ cup panko

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil, for frying

For the honey-lime dressing:

2-½ tbsp honey

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tbsps fresh squeezed lime juice

Pinch of salt and pepper

For the spicy ranch drizzle:

⅓ cup ranch dressing

½ tsp or more of chili with garlic sauce (or you can use Sriracha)

For the salad:

Arugula or your fave lettuce

Tomato

2 tbsp shaved Parmesan cheese

2 slices cooked bacon, Crumbled

Directions: 

For the crispy avocado:

Halve your avocado and run a sharp knife gently around the perimeter of each half to loosen the meat from the skin. Gently remove the skin and the seed. Slice each half into wedges. You should be able to get 8-10 wedges from the avocado, depending on its size. Don’t slice them too thin; you want them to hold up to the breading and frying. Sprinkle the wedges with a bit of kosher salt and pepper.

Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Place the egg (beaten) in another bowl and the panko and Parmesan cheese in another bowl. Dredge each piece in the flour, gently shake off any excess flour. Dip into the egg mixture, then finally into the panko mixture, coating all sides well. Set aside.

Heat your oil in a frying pan. Place just enough olive oil in your pan to just cover the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium high heat until oil becomes hot enough to fry. You can test with a little piece of excess batter. Gently set your avocado pieces in the oil. Fry on all sides until browned, a total of about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Gently remove from the pan, set on a paper towel-lined plate.

For the honey-lime dressing:

Combine honey, vinegar, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper in a bowl; whisk until fully combined. Drizzle over salad.

For the drizzle:

Combine the ranch dressing and chili with garlic sauce in a small bowl and mix until fully incorporated. Adjust to your taste. Drizzle over salad.

For the salad:

Assemble your salad(s) with the greens, tomatoes, shaved Parmesan cheese, and crumbled bacon. Top with crispy avocado and dressings.

[Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen]