These are all of the required ingredients necessary in our recipe:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
Iceberg Lettuce

Some doctors criticize iceberg lettuce for being non-nutrient dense. They clearly missed the memo that this crunchy, refreshing lettuce varietal is an ideal foil for fatty blue cheese dressing and bacon bits.
Iceberg lettuce is available practically everywhere. We can even buy iceberg lettuce at local chain grocery stores in Lisbon.
Pro Tip
It’s important to discard the outer shriveling leaves before quartering your head o’ lettuce. You’ll also want to cut the woody end of the core from the wedge before serving.
Bacon Bits

While many wedge salad recipes call for crisp crumbled bacon, we like the pleasing chew and occasional light crunch that thick chunks of bacon bring to the wedge salad party. This is no surprise since we prefer eating thick bacon that’s cooked but not burnt.
We cook our bacon in the oven at a medium temperature in order to cook the bacon evenly.
Pro Tip
Cook the bacon over parchment paper on a baking sheet for easy cleaning.
Roquefort Cheese

Is Roquefort the king of blue cheeses? We think so.
No other cheese provides the unique biting sheepiness along with that classic blue penicillium twang of the French classic. It’s the kind of blue cheese to eat when you’re living large. It’s also the blue cheese we add to our wedge salads.
You could substitute a big-time cheese like Rogue River Blue if you can’t find Roquefort. You could also use Stilton or Gorgonzola though the flavors won’t have the same impact.
Buy a wedge of Roquefort from Amazon if you can’t find our favorite blue cheese at your local market.
Yogurt

Sure, we could use buttermilk to create dressing for this salad . But, let’s face it, using plain greek yogurt is so much easier. We came to this realization after being initially frustrated that we couldn’t find buttermilk in Lisbon. It’s available in Northern European countries like Denmark but not in Portugal.
Pro Tip
Don’t throw out the extra yogurt. Instead, add honey or jam to create a tasty breakfast the next morning.
Sour Cream / Creme Fraiche

Lest we forget, this IS a steakhouse-inspired recipe. Adding a little cultured cream adds the luxurious mouthfeel that makes its dressing sing.
Mayonnaise

A couple tablespoons of mayonnaise binds the dressing together. If you’re like us, you already have a jar in your pantry.
Chives

Finely chopped chives give our wedge salad that cheffy look that never fails to impress.
You can chop your chives fine or into one-inch batons. Either way, chives provide a wonderful grassy/oniony finish to the salad.
Pro Tip
Sharpen your chef’s knife to achieve great chive results.
Lemon

Many wedge recipes add vinegar to create bright acid flavors. This is not one of those recipes.
Yogurt provides enough acid that adding vinegar to the dressing would be overkill. We instead choose to ramp the up the acidity with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This zing completes the dressing’s flavor picture, providing just the right note of acidity with no vinegar added.
Pro Tip
Add about a tablespoon of lemon juice or more if necessary.
Cherry Tomatoes (Optional)

We don’t add tomatoes to our wedge salads. Daryl is a purist and his childhood memories of the wedge salad include no tomatoes.
Feel free to add 4 to 6 halved cherry tomatoes to your salad If you don’t share Daryl’s memories or sentiments.