Salads

“Concombre à la Crème” is an easy-breezy recipe that you can often find on French tables during Summer time. This delicious chilled salad features crunchy cucumber, tangy shallots and herbs all tossed together in – you guessed it – smooth crème fraiche. This is a quick and easy recipe to have on hand as it’s so refreshing and the perfect accompaniment to your grilled meats, fish or to pack up for a sunny picnic or potluck.

As simple as it is, a good French vinaigrette can truly make a dish. With just a few ingredients, it brightens up a dull bowl of mixed greens and turns an unassuming plate of raw vegetables into a crowd-pleasing starter. Whether you enjoy it as a dip or a dressing, mastering the art of a good French Vinaigrette is an essential everyday skill to have on hand.

This Frisée Salad with Bacon, Egg and Croutons, also known as a “Salade Lyonnaise” is a bistro classic from the city of Lyon, in southern France, renowned as being the gastronomic capital of the country. As a representative of its origin city’s cuisine, this simple recipe relies on everyday ingredients—leafy greens, bacon, bread, and eggs—thoughtfully combined to create a timeless dish.

Known as “Harengs Pommes à l’Huile”, this traditional Pickled Herring and Potato Salad is a classic Bistro starter in France. The tang of the pickled herrings compliments the creaminess of simple boiled potatoes, all bound together with a tangy red onion vinaigrette. This humble dish is often served during Winter as it is nutritious, packed with good fats from the fish and very satisfying. This is a quick, easy and affordable recipe to recreate at home. I love to make it when I yearn for a satisfying yet healthy-ish starter …

Ubiquitous in France, this Classic French Celery Root Remoulade features raw celery root sticks tossed in a creamy mayonnaise and Dijon dressing with bits of tangy cornichons. It is a very popular salad in France, often served as a starter in school cantines, in bistros and sold in plastic-sealed containers in grocery stores or at the local butcher – often alongside the equally beloved “Carottes Rapées”. It’s a breeze to recreate at home, and tastes both crisp and creamy, tangy and smooth – it has it all!

No mayo, fresh herbs and zippy add-ons are what make a Classic French-Style Potato Salad a Summer favorite! In comparison to its American counterpart, almost always thickly dressed with mayonnaise, the French-style potato salad relies on a lively vinaigrette dressing to create a more elegant and lighter version of this staple.

This Provençal Chickpea Salad is traditionally made for Palm Sunday – the Sunday before Easter. It’s quick and simple, budget-friendly, made with pantry staples, and oozes salty flavors with the addition of anchovies and black olives, and a nice crunch from the celery. Because of the protein from the chickpeas, it’s nutritious enough to be a meal on its own. But really, it can also double as a the perfect side or starter to any Spring or Summer table. 

If you’ve ever gone grocery shopping in France and stumbled on our French  “Taboulé”, you may have raised an eyebrow… Yes, what the French call “Taboulé” is more of a loose-adaptation from the authentic Levantine “Tabbouleh” made of bulgur and a bounty of herbs – but trust me, it’s just as delicious.   Instead of bulgur, the French Taboulé is made with couscous that is often cooked in chicken stock for extra flavour, and studded with diced vegetables and raisins. It also uses less mint and other herbs which gives …

Like most French people, I have an extreme fondness for mustards. And although the Classic Dijon Mustard is one of my favourites, I think my number one has to be the grainy Old-Style Mustard – known in French as “Moutarde à l’ancienne”. Its delicate sweetness and gritty texture makes it a condiment so unique, that I often think you don’t need anything else with it to make a dish shine. It is particularly true in this Kasha Green Bean Potato Salad,  where I think a tablespoon or two of the …