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Air-fryer salads · 22 minutes

Wedge Salad with Rice-Paper “Bacon”

Strips of rice paper soaked in a smoky soy-maple marinade turn shatter-crisp in the air fryer, giving a steakhouse wedge its bacon crunch with no bacon.

Prep
12 min
Cook
10 min
Total
22 min
Serves
4
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VegetarianGluten-freeAir fryer

A wedge salad is really cold iceberg, creamy dressing and something salty and crunchy on top. Rice-paper bacon does that last job well. Dip doubled-up strips of rice paper in soy sauce, maple, smoked paprika and a little oil, then air-fry them until they bubble and turn mahogany. They taste smoky and sweet-salty and they crunch like the real thing.

Cook the strips at 375°F, not 400°F; the sugar in the marinade goes from perfect to burnt quickly. The blue cheese dressing takes two minutes to stir together and makes a lot. If anyone at the table hates blue cheese, there’s a vegan ranch swap below.

The recipe

Wedge Salad with Rice-Paper “Bacon”

Prep 12 min · Cook 10 min · Total 22 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

Tap to tick off as you go.

For the rice-paper bacon

For the blue cheese dressing

For the salad

Method

  1. Step 1: Mix the marinade

    Whisk the tamari, maple syrup, oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder and liquid smoke, if using, in a shallow dish.

  2. Step 2: Cut the rice paper

    Dip one rice paper sheet in water for 2 seconds, lay it on a cutting board, then dip and stack a second sheet on top. Press them together and cut into 1-inch strips with kitchen scissors. Repeat with the other two sheets.

  3. Step 3: Air-fry the bacon

    Drag each strip through the marinade, let the excess drip off, and lay it flat in the basket without overlapping. Air-fry at 375°F for 4–5 minutes per batch, until bubbled, deep brown and crisp. Cool on a rack; they crisp up more as they cool.

  4. Step 4: Stir the dressing

    Mash half the blue cheese into the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk and lemon juice, then fold in the rest so there are chunks. Season with pepper.

  5. Step 5: Build the wedges

    Set each iceberg wedge on a plate, spoon over plenty of dressing, and scatter with tomatoes, red onion and chives. Break the rice-paper bacon over the top just before serving.

Good to know

  • Strips that are still bendy when they come out need another minute. Pull the ones at the edges first; they cook faster.
  • Fresh strips stick together and to the basket. A perforated parchment liner helps, and don’t let them touch.
  • Make the bacon a few hours ahead if you like, but store it uncovered at room temperature. A sealed container turns it chewy.

Swaps

Blue cheese dressing
Make it vegan: ½ cup vegan mayo, 2 tbsp unsweetened plant milk, 1 tsp lemon juice, and ½ tsp each dried dill, garlic powder and onion powder
Rice paper
Thinly sliced king oyster mushrooms in the same marinade, 375°F for 8–10 minutes
Iceberg
Halved romaine hearts or Little Gem

Questions people ask

How do you make rice paper bacon?

Stack two lightly wetted rice paper sheets, cut them into strips, dip in a soy-maple-smoked paprika marinade, and air-fry at 375°F for 4–5 minutes until crisp.

Is blue cheese vegetarian?

It depends on the brand. Many traditional blue cheeses use animal rennet, but plenty of US brands use microbial rennet; check the label.

Is a wedge salad gluten-free?

Iceberg, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing are naturally gluten-free. Use tamari instead of soy sauce in the rice-paper bacon and check that your rice paper contains no wheat.

Get the iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes and red onion from a farmer.

This recipe is only as good as what goes in it. Find a farmers market or CSA farm near you, or get a produce box delivered when there’s no market this week.

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All air-fryer salads