A great salad is the perfectly balanced sum of contrasting flavors and textures—bitter, rich, salty, sweet, soft, crunchy—using super fresh ingredients. It’s what the snack food industry calls the bliss point, at which human resistance is futile (see: peanut butter-filled pretzels).
Case in point: the pork belly stone fruit salad at Charleston, South Carolina’s year-old paean to regional seafood, Chubby Fish. Chef-owner James London, whose treatment of fish coming out of nearby waters is matched only by his way with local produce, dreamt up the fan favorite after a hog farmer dropped off six pork bellies last summer. Ripe peaches and plums and a handful of herbs lift the lardons into a bright and balanced dish that, as he puts it, “eats nice and clean.” At home, London swaps the pork belly with Benton’s bacon, dusting it with rice flour before rendering for a crisp edge that absorbs the lime dressing and sets the flavors. With grilled fish and a cold txakolina, that’s bliss for you.
share
TLP Editors
trending content
-
A Taste of the American South in European Restaurants | Listen
-
Pura Vida in Costa Rica | Listen
-
Joy the Baker on Books | Listen
by Emily Havener -
Deviled and Delicious | Listen
by Emily Havener -
Discover Downtown Charm in Lake Norman
by TLP's Partners
More From At the Table
-
Deviled and Delicious | Listen
-
10 Southern Dishes from Iconic Female Chefs
-
A Feast for Réveillon | Listen
-
12 Cozy Getaways for Winter
-
Not Your Grandmother’s Pie | Listen