Salade Lyonnaise

A French frisée salad is the ultimate ham and eggs.

This traditional French salade Lyonnaise recipe will make you a salad true believer. Crisp salade frisée greens get tossed with thick-cut bacon lardons, warm vinaigrette, and topped with a soft poached egg. The result is a simple, satisfying salad with a touch of elegance.

What Is Salade Lyonnaise? Meet This French Frisée Salad With Bacon Lardons

It’s no secret that bacon and eggs are a quintessential combination. While ham and eggs taste delicious in just about any combination, the French have really mastered the high art of ham and egg cookery — this ham and cheese galette complète, for example. Or quiche Lorraine.

Or this salad.

Salade Lyonnaise (pronounced “sahl-OD lee-on-AIZ”) is a traditional French salad, originating in Lyon, France. “Lyonnaise” means “of Lyon” or “from Lyon.”

This salad marries flavor, elegance, and comforting satisfaction. To make salade Lyonnaise recipe, start with fresh frisée greens, toss with warm bacon vinaigrette and thick-cut lardons, and top with a simple poached egg. This is a salad that will both impress and satisfy.

Frisée Basics

• What is frisée?
• Why use it?
• What greens to substitute if I can’t find frisée?

Frisée is a curly-leaf endive. A member of the chicory family (escarole, radicchio, Belgian endive), frisée has a more delicate leaf and milder flavor than some of the other, more hearty chicories. It has a lightly bitter flavor and soft, feathery leaf.

Another delicious chicory salad is this bright Italian Radicchio Orange Salad recipe.

Frisée isn’t everywhere; I can usually find it at Whole Foods and farmers markets. But if you see it, grab it and make this salad.

If you can’t find frisée and would still like to make this salade Lyonnaise recipe, I would substitute frisée with arugula (also known as rocket). It’s a little more delicate, but carries the same peppery flavor and mild bitterness. Some people suggest escarole or dandelion greens as the closest substitute to frisée, but I do not think the texture or flavor of these greens work as well as arugula for this salad. Dandelion, in particular, is too bitter and wilts very easily.

How to Poach an Egg for Frisée Salad

Poaching an egg is so easy. Don’t be intimidated, since it’s an essential part of this salad. Here’s how to do it:

1. Bring water to a gentle simmer in a pot (never a boil). Add a splash of vinegar to the water. The acid keeps the egg white tight together instead of feathering out into the water.
2. Use a big spoon to swirl the water into a little whirlpool. Crack the egg and release it into the middle of the whirlpool.
3. Let the egg simmer gently for about two-and-a-half to three minutes for a runny yolk.
4. Use a small strainer or slotted spoon to lift the poached egg out of the water onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

When the poached egg breaks over the salad and the warm yolk runs through the greens and combines with the bacon…well, you’re in for a treat.

You may also like: How to Soft-Boil an Egg

Recipe Pro Tips

Don’t dress the greens until right before you serve the salad. This is true of virtually all salads, since dressing will start to wilt the greens, but especially with a warm dressing, as here.

Also, make sure the frisée is clean and perfectly dry before making the salad. You always want very dry greens when you make salad. Otherwise, the dressing will not cling to the greens and the flavor will be blah. I generally am not in favor of single-use kitchen appliances (especially bulky ones), but I do love this salad spinner.

Salade Lyonnaise Recipe Ingredients

Lyonnaise salad is made from these ingredients:

• One large head of frisée or two smaller heads (enough for about 4 or 5 generous handfuls of greens). Frisée is also known as French curly endive.
• 4 large eggs
• 6 ounces thick uncured bacon, cut into 1/2-inch wide pieces
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 4 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar (plus a splash more to poach the eggs)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I prefer grain mustard and use Maille brand)
• 1/2 lb. fingerling potatoes, optional (about 6 to 8 fingerling potatoes)
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Salade Lyonnaise

This French frisée salad with warm bacon vinaigrette ties with Zuni Café’s Caesar salad for my favorite salads of all time. You’ll want to have the greens prepped and ready in a large bowl. Once you get started cooking, the steps will go fairly quickly and you want to serve the salad warm.

1. Prepare the frisée by removing the stump and washing and drying the leaves very well. Tear or chop the frisée into pieces. You don’t have to shred it; just make the leaves bite-sized.
2. If adding fingerling potatoes to the salad, wash them well and boil in well-salted water until fork tender (about 10 minutes). Drain. Toss with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cut each fingerling potato into a few pieces and set aside.
3. Refill the pot with fresh water and bring to a gentle simmer. Use a spoon to create a whirlpool with the water and crack one egg into the center of the whirlpool. Poach the eggs, one at a time, for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
4. In a large skillet, while the eggs are poaching if you’d like to multitask, cook the bacon pieces over medium-low heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is cooked and tinged golden. (Now is not the time for crispy, well-done bacon; we want luxurious golden lardons, not crispy bacon bits.)
5. Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on a paper towel. Pour off some of the bacon fat as needed, but you need about 4 tablespoons remaining.
6. Add the vinegar, shallot, mustard, and a few twists of black pepper to the skillet with the remaining bacon grease. Cook for about one minute, stirring to combine into a warm vinaigrette. Remove from heat. Toss in the pieces of fingerling potato, if using.
7. The French frisée salad will come together quickly now. When the eggs have finished poaching, toss the vinaigrette with the frisée greens and most of the bacon (and potato) pieces. Divide among four plates. Add a poached egg to the top of each salad, and garnish the top with the remaining bacon lardons and potatoes, if using. Serve immediately.

Love this Salade Lyonnaise recipe? You may also like this other French and salad goodness:

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Salade Lyonnaise

Author: Lisa Ruland

Salade Lyonnaise, or French frisée salad, is a traditional French salad made by tossing frilly frisée greens with a warm bacon vinaigrette, topped with a poached egg for a sophisticated, unctuous result. It's incredibly satisfying, and so tasty. Here's how to make it.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 507kcal

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 large head frisée (French curly endive)
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 6 ounces thick-cut, uncured bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• ▢ 2 tablespoons minced shallot (about one small shallot)
• ▢ 4 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar, plus a splash more for the egg poaching water
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, preferably whole grain (I use Maille brand)
• ▢ 6 to 8 fingerling potatoes
• ▢ Salt and fresh-ground pepper

Instructions

For the Frisée and Potatoes

• Remove the lettuce stump. Tear or chop the frisée into pieces and wash and dry the leaves. Place the frisée in a large mixing bowl. (I love this OXO salad spinner for lettuce prep.)

  PRO TIP: You'll want to have the greens prepped and ready in the mixing bowl. Once you get started cooking, the steps will go fairly quickly and you want to serve the salad warm.

  PRO TIP: My number one salad tip of all time is to make sure your salad greens are dry. If they are not, the lettuce won't hold the vinaigrette and will taste soggy.
• If adding fingerling potatoes to the salad, wash the potatoes well and boil them in well-salted water in a small pot until fork tender (about 10 minutes). Cut each fingerling potato into a few pieces and set aside.

For the Eggs and Bacon Lardons

• Fill a small pot with water. Bring the water to a gentle simmer and add a little splash of vinegar. Use a spoon to create a whirlpool in the water. Crack one egg into the center of the whirlpool. Poach the eggs, one at a time, for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

  PRO TIP: Why add vinegar to the poaching liquid? The acid helps keep the egg white proteins tightly connected and able to congeal quickly, leading to a neater poached egg.
• Separately, in a skillet -- while the eggs are poaching if you'd like to multitask -- cook the bacon pieces over medium-low heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is cooked and tinged golden. Now is not the time for well-done bacon; we want luxurious golden lardons, not crispy bacon bits.

  Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on a paper towel. Pour off some of the bacon fat as needed. You'll need about 4 tablespoons for the dressing.

For the Dressing and to Finish

• Add the vinegar, minced shallot, Dijon mustard, and a few twists of black pepper to the skillet with the remaining bacon grease. Cook for about one minute, stirring to combine into a warm vinaigrette. Remove from the heat. Toss in the pieces of fingerling potato, if using, but do not over-mix or the potatoes could break apart.
• The salad will come together quickly now. When the eggs have finished poaching, toss the warm vinaigrette with the bowl of frisée greens and most of the bacon (and potato) pieces. Divide among four plates. Add a poached egg to the top of each salad, and garnish the top with the remaining bacon lardons and potatoes, if using. Serve immediately with a twist of black pepper on top.

Notes

I wrote it in the directions, but it bears repeating: When making any salad, make sure your lettuce leaves are very dry. Soggy lettuce leaves means that the vinaigrette will not cling to the frisée (that old oil and water cliché is real) and the greens will be soggy overall. 

This salad is best served warm, right away. I don't think you can really enjoy this well as leftovers. However, if you want to make some of the components ahead of time:

• Cook the bacon lardons and store in an airtight container. Separately store the rendered bacon fat in a little jar. You will reheat both to make the salad.
• Make the non-bacon components of the vinaigrette and store. 
• Boil the potatoes and store.
• Clean the frisée and let it dry on a sheet pan lined with clean paper towels in the fridge. 

Nutrition

Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 192mg | Sodium: 418mg | Potassium: 1.754mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3.492IU | Vitamin C: 77mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 4mg

Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.