Frisée Salad with Bacon, Egg and Croutons (Salade Lyonnaise)

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.

If you’ve never been to Lyon or enjoyed its food, this Salade Lyonnaise is the perfect introduction. This is standard French bistro fare, served as a “salade-repas”, a meal-sized salad, which is a very popular lunch option among the rushed working crowd.

Bitter frisée, salty bacon bits, crunchy croutons, velvety poached eggs and a sharp vinaigrette come together into this simple yet luxurious recipe that’ll take you right to France.

About Frisée Salad

Frizzy and with a slight bitterness, Frisée Salad is a beloved component of French salads. Although less common and slightly pricier than lettuce or spring mix in the US, Frisée salad can usually be found in your regular grocery store starting from the end of spring and all throughout fall. Once purchased, a fresh head of frisée can be stored in the fridge, in a ventilated bag, for up to one week.

Can’t find lardons? 

Salade Lyonnaise contains cured pork belly, which is very common to find in France in the form of lardons: short, thin strips that are sold pre-sliced and ready to cook. To make your own, find thick-cut bacon and slice it across the grain into short matchsticks. Pancetta sliced into thin sticks also works well.

Tips to poach eggs

Poached eggs not only bring extra protein to this salad-repas, but also contribute to the overall texture. The idea is to place the just-cooked egg right on top of and in the middle of the frisée leaves, so that the runny egg yolk oozes into the salad and acts as a rich, velvety dressing. 

To ease you into the potentially intimidating process of poaching eggs, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• • Use the freshest eggs possible. Once cracked, a fresh egg should have a white that is tightly attached around the yolk. The white will then hold together well in the poaching water and create a nice round shape. Older eggs will have ragged, liquidy whites that will disperse in the poaching water. 
  • Make sure the water is deep enough. I usually find you should have at least 4 inches of water in your pot, to give the eggs enough room to be fully submerged and poach into a round form. If there isn’t enough water, the eggs will poach flat. 
  • Add a splash of vinegar to the water. This will further assist in keeping the egg white together. If you are worried about your eggs having a vinegary taste, you can later pass them under cold water, to stop the cooking process and to rinse off any vinegar taste (of which there is very little). 
  • Crack each egg into a small ramekin first, then pour it into the poaching water. Using a ramekin allows you to check that the egg looks fresh, the yolk isn’t broken, and no shell has broken into the egg. It also makes it easier to pour the egg into the water in one smooth motion. 
  • Swirl a vortex in the water. Just before dropping in the egg, use the back of a wooden spoon to swirl a vortex in your pot of water. This will further encourage the egg to poach in a round shape, as the white wraps around itself. 

More cooking tips: 

• Salade Lyonnaise is all about assembling ingredients in the right way. You should start by preparing the vinaigrette. It can be made a few hours ahead—or longer, and kept tightly covered in the fridge. You can then prepare the croutons, and then the poached eggs. Cook the lardons (or bacon) last, just before assembling the salad, as you want them to still be crisp and warm when serving. 
• To prepare the Frisée Salad, avoid cutting it with a knife, which will flatten the curly shape of the leaves. Instead, wash the head right before serving and tear the delicate curly leaves by hand into large pieces, dropping them right onto the serving plates.
• For homemade croutons that will crisp up nicely, use a day-old, sturdy loaf of bread. French, Italian, or even a sourdough boule or a baguette. are all good options. Avoid using soft white breads, like dinner rolls or pre-sliced white bread.

I hope you’ll love this Frisée Salad with Bacon, Egg and Croutons (Salade Lyonnaise) as much as I do! This is a simple yet impressive salad recipe that you can make from Spring to Fall. Enjoy it for lunch with a glass of white wine. 

You may also like: 

• Chicken Fricassée with Shallots and Bacon
• Chicken Provençal with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes
• Creamy French Chicken Tarragon (Poulet à l’Estragon)
• Braised Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Onion

Frisée Salad with Bacon, Egg and Croutons (Salade Lyonnaise)

Print Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 22 Minutes 22 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp (30ml) red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
6 tbsp (90ml) neutral oil, such as sunflower seed, grapeseed, or canola
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad Components
1 tsp unsalted butter
1 cup cubed day-old bread, such as a sourdough boule, a baguette, or any French or Italian loaf
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
4 large eggs
1/4 cup (60ml) white vinegar
5 slices (about 5 ounces) bacon, cut into short, thin matchsticks
8 cups frisée lettuce, hand-torn into large pieces

Instructions

Step 1 - Prepare the Vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, combine the salt and red wine vinegar, and whisk with a fork until the salt has dissolved. Stir in the mustard. Pour in the oil slowly, stirring all the while to create an emulsion. Sprinkle generously with pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

If not using right away, cover and refrigerate the vinaigrette until ready to serve. 

Step 2 - Make the Croutons. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. When it foams, add the bread and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. The croutons will crisp up as they cool.

Step 3 - Poach the Eggs. Break each egg into individual ramekins. Bring a large pot of water (at least 4 inches deep) to a gentle simmer with the vinegar. With a wooden spoon, stir the water to create a gentle whirlpool in the center. Immediately and carefully drop an egg into the center of the whirlpool. Cook for 3 minutes, until the white looks set. Carefully lift the egg with a slotted spoon, run it under a gentle stream of cold water, and transfer it onto a kitchen cloth or paper towel. Repeat with the other eggs.

Step 4 - Fry the Lardons. In a dry skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until browned, about 5 minutes. Scoop into a bowl. Discard or keep the rendered fat for another use.

Step 5 - To Assemble. Divide the torn Frisée salad among salad plates, forming nests. Top with the poached eggs and sprinkle with the bacon strips and croutons. Drizzle each salad plate with vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Notes...

Leftover vinaigrette keeps for up to 1 week in the fridge, in a glass jar with a tight lid.