I owe much of my love of food and cooking to France. When I was a young teenager, my parents let me tag along on a trip through Paris, central France, and down to Provence. I say "tag along" because my parents probably wanted to go alone. In fact, my older brother and sister did not get the invitation (my siblings remind me of that little detail at least once a year). Yet that trip nearly three decades ago had a profound impact on my appreciation for food and a deep respect for those who devote their lives to the culinary craft.
The rich tradition of French cooking was the backbone of my culinary education that I carried with me from working the line in fine dining restaurants to culinary school and later to my career as a food writer and recipe developer. But let’s face it, French cuisine is often considered elaborate, labor-intensive, and even a bit stuffy. I think that reputation is a bit unfair, especially when it comes to bistro fare. Think simple steak frites, croque monsieur, and steamed mussels—these bistro classics highlight my favorite aspect of French cooking: a few basic yet high quality fresh ingredients are prepared using simple but well crafted techniques with a focus on complementary flavors and textures.
Perhaps there’s no better example of French bistro food than salade Lyonnaise, also often referred to as a bistro salad. This staple of Lyon features bitter greens tossed in a warm vinaigrette and topped with chewy lardons and a gooey poached egg. The salad's appeal is how well the individual elements play off one another: The bitter greens, typically frisée, provide an earthy bitter balance to the salty fatty lardons. The greens and the lardons together are sturdy enough to stand up to the assertive warm vinaigrette, and it all adds up to a salad that's incredibly satisfying.
After years of restaurant cooking and professional recipe development, I’ve crafted a foolproof way to make an ideal bistro salad at home. It’s an easy light dinner that can come together in under 30 minutes for busy weeknights, but it's elegant enough to serve as an impressive starter salad for a dinner party. Read on for my tips and simple recipe.
Tips for a Bistro-Worthy Salade Lyonnaise
Skip the croutons. Some bistros include croutons on their bistro salad, but I find that crispy bread interferes with the texture of the other ingredients and the chewy lardons and crisp greens already provide plenty of bite to the salad. That’s why I left them out, but you can absolutely include some basic croutons, if you’d like. A crusty baguette on the side is also nice if you are looking to add some bread to your dinner.
Seek out slab bacon for the lardons. Texture is key when it comes to the lardons. The lardons should retain their chew rather than being brittle and crispy. The best way to achieve this is to start with slab bacon. You can find slab bacon at well stocked grocery stores, specialty meat markets, and some farmers markets. Cut it into quarter-inch thick slices (which is thicker than most pre-sliced bacon), then cut those slices into bite-size pieces. Using thicker pieces of bacon ensures that the lardons aren’t overly crispy and remain chewy and even a bit meaty. If you can’t find a slab of bacon, use thick-cut bacon instead—just know that it won’t quite have that signature chew. Simply cut thick-cut bacon slices into large strips, about a half-inch wide.
Take your time when rendering the lardons. Slow and relatively low heat is key to cooking lardons: It’ll take about eight minutes to cook pleasantly chewy bits of bacon. Do not let the pan get too hot or the bacon will burn and the fat won’t render properly. Remove the lardons to a paper towel-lined plate before building the vinaigrette right in the pan drippings. Using the bacon fat in the vinaigrette ensures every bit of lettuce is coated with rich meaty flavor.
I realize that bacon will render different fat amounts from batch to batch. I recommend using no more than a quarter cup of the rendered bacon fat for the dressing. You can measure this or just tilt the skillet to let the fat puddle and eyeball how much is there. If your bacon is extra fatty for some reason, just discard or save the excess fat for another use.
Build flavor with a warm dressing. You want the shallots to wilt but not fully cook in the bacon fat. Start by adding them to the skillet containing the bacon fat with the heat still on, but then immediately turn off the heat. The skillet’s residual heat is just enough to turn the shallots translucent around the edges without overcooking them. This will tame the raw, hot sulfur flavor in the shallots.
Dijon mustard, a big pinch of salt, and a healthy dash of sherry vinegar perk up the vinaigrette. I prefer sherry vinegar for its fruity, complex flavor, but you can use red wine or even champagne vinegar if you prefer. The result is a warm, rich dressing that clings to every green leaf. Make sure to toss the greens with the vinaigrette while it’s still warm. It softens them slightly.
No frisée? No problem! Frisée is traditional for salade Lyonnaise, but it may be tough to find it out of season (it’s a winter green). Instead, you can use curly endive or escarole or your preferred chicory greens. Similar to frisée, these greens are all bitter and sturdy enough to hold up to the warm dressing, and they won’t overpower the rest of the salad ingredients. I prefer to tear the greens into bite-size pieces, but you can cut them if you prefer.
Put an egg on it! A poached egg really does make almost every savory dish better. Here it's also a traditional and key ingredient for a proper bistro salad. I use Kenji’s easy poached eggs recipe here. I recommend tossing the salad together and poaching the eggs right before serving. But you can also poach the eggs ahead of time and transfer them to a bowl of cold water and refrigerate them for up to two days. To reheat, gently transfer them to a bowl of hot water for about two minutes until warmed through. Once cracked into, the gooey warm egg yolk further enriches the salad, making it a satisfying and balanced bistro salad.
Cut slab bacon into 1/4-inch thick slices then cut each slice crosswise into 1/2-inch wide pieces. If using thick-cut bacon, stack slices on top of each other and cut into strips about 1/2-inch wide. In a 10-inch stainless-steel or cast iron skillet, add bacon and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently and adjusting heat to avoid burning, until fat is rendered from the bacon and it’s evenly browned but still chewy, 6 to 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate. Reserve 1/4 cup of the rendered bacon fat in the skillet, and discard any extra bacon fat.
To the reserved 1/4 cup bacon fat in the skillet, add the minced shallot and immediately remove from heat. Cook off heat, stirring frequently, until the edges of the shallots turn opaque and soften, about 30 seconds. Whisk in mustard then slowly drizzle in vinegar while continuing to whisk. Season with salt. Set aside and cover to keep warm while preparing the poached eggs.
For Poaching the Eggs: Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer, then reduce heat until it is barely quivering. It should register 180 to 190°F (82 to 88°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Carefully break 1 egg into a small bowl, then tip into a fine-mesh strainer. Carefully swirl egg around strainer, using your finger to rub off any excess loose egg whites that drop through. Gently tip egg into water. Swirl gently with a wooden spoon for 10 seconds, just until egg begins to set. Repeat straining and tipping with remaining eggs. Cook, swirling occasionally, until egg whites are fully set but yolks are still soft, about 4 minutes.
Carefully lift eggs from pot with a slotted spoon. Serve immediately, or transfer to a bowl of cold water and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To serve, transfer to a bowl of hot water and let reheat for 2 minutes before plating.
When ready to serve, in a large bowl, toss the frisée with the prepared warm vinaigrette until well combined. Divide among 4 plates and garnish with the prepared lardons. Top with 1 poached egg per plate and sprinkle with black pepper.
Special Equipment
10-inch cast iron or stainless-steel skillet
Notes
If you can’t find frisée, a bitter green like curly endive or escarole can be substituted. Or alternatively, use any combination of the 3 listed greens.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Salade Lyonnaise is best prepared just before serving, but in a pinch you can prepare the dressing, lardons, and greens up to 2 days ahead and store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. Reheat the lardons in a dry skillet, remove, then heat dressing in the same skillet before tossing with the greens.
To make the eggs ahead, transfer the poached eggs to a bowl of cold water and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To serve, transfer to a bowl of hot water and let reheat for 2 minutes before plating.
