My Frisée salad with poached eggs, lardons, and warm bacon vinaigrette is inspired by the classic Lyonnaise salad. Bitter greens, traditionally frisée, are topped with salty, crisp bacon and poached eggs. The Dijon salad dressing is made from the bacon renderings, giving it a rich, deep flavor that really sticks to the greens. For having so few ingredients, this frisée salad recipe (also referred to as salade Lyonnaise) has a complex flavor that warrants each individual step.
It’s also extraordinarily filling (deceptively so!). It’s a filling salad that won’t weigh you down. We love that. Occasionally you’ll see Lyonnaise salad with potatoes mixed in, too.
You can easily scale the recipe up or down depending on how many people you’re feeding, just make sure there is one poached egg per person. This classic French bistro recipe is perfect for a light supper or lunch.
For more easy bistro-inspired recipes, try my Warm French Lentil Salad, any type of seafood with Classic Lemon Beurre Blanc, or my unbelievably rich French onion soup recipe!
Ingredients For Frisée Salad
This simple frisée salad is perfect for date night in or easy entertaining! Because there are so few ingredients, make sure to use fresh, high quality eggs and bacon that you really love.
- Frisée lettuce: a bitter green that can hold up to the hearty dressing. You should need about 2 heads frisee. If you can’t find frisée, escarole or curly endive are good backups.
- Thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons. What exactly does that mean? Lardons are the shape of matchsticks — cut the slices of bacon into sticks about ¼-inch wide.
- Eggs: poached and kept warm until serving
- Homemade croutons: optional, but so delicious, and they add the best crunch! You’ll need a few slices of bread ripped into ½-inch size pieces (about ¾ cup total), extra virgin olive oil, and Kosher salt. I recommend using French baguette!
To make the warm bacon vinaigrette, you’ll need the leftover bacon fat, a minced shallot (about 1 tablespoon), red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, and black pepper. The salad dressing gets made right in the skillet that the bacon was cooked in!
How To Make Frisée Salad (Lyonnaise Salad)
- Make the croutons. Preheat an oven to 375F, then place torn pieces of bread on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and Kosher salt, then bake for 7 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.
- Cut the bacon into lardons. Cut ⅓ lb of sliced bacon into matchsticks that are about ¼” thick. I prefer thick-cut bacon for frisée salad.
- Cook the lardons. Add the lardons to a small skillet over medium heat. Cook until crispy on all sides, 7-9 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined bowl, but leave the bacon renderings in the pan.
- Make the dressing. Add minced shallot to the bacon fat and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add vinegar and Dijon mustard, then whisk.
- Poach the eggs. Fill a medium saucepan with 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low (you want to get to a gentle simmer). Add vinegar, then swirl the water into a whirlpool with a spoon or spatula. Carefully drop in one egg, then let it set for a few seconds. Drop in the second egg. Cook until the whites are cooked through, but the yolk is still runny, 3-4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining eggs.
- Assemble the salad. Place frisée leaves in a large mixing bowl, then add the lardons. Drizzle the hot bacon dressing on top (if it solidified, heat it up again slightly), then give it a good toss. Season to taste, then divide the salad evenly between two plates. Top each with croutons and a poached egg. Enjoy!
How Long Will Poached Eggs Keep?
If not eating immediately, transfer poached eggs to an ice bath right after cooking. Store in cold water in a sealed container in a refrigerator until needed or for up to 5 days.
To reheat: bring a pot of water to a boil. When ready, slowly lower eggs into water. Allow to heat for 30 seconds, until warmed throughout. Serve immediately.
Ari’s Best Tips!
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- Rip the frisée into large bite-size pieces. No cutting required!
- Toss the salad with warm dressing in a large bowl. This will slightly wilt the greens, without turning them into a soggy mess.
- Don’t over cook bacon! The lardons should be crisp, but still have a slight chew to them.
- If you don’t want to poach eggs, you can fry them or use either hard boiled eggs (chopped) or soft boiled eggs. We love runny yolks, so soft-boiled would be our 2nd choice here.
This French Lyonnaise salad is deceptively easy to make and so stunningly beautiful. It’s elegant, both in appearance and flavor. You’ll never want to live without it!
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More Salad Recipes To Try!
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Frisée Salad with Perfect Poached Eggs
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup artisan bread ripped into ½" pieces
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp Kosher salt plus more for serving
- ⅓ lb thick-cut bacon about 5 slices
- 1 medium shallot minced
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large head frisée lettuce root removed, leaves separated into smaller pieces
- Freshly ground black pepper for serving
- 1-2 Tbsp high quality extra virgin olive oil for serving
- Flaky sea salt optional, for serving
Instructions
- Make the croutons. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place torn pieces of bread on a rimmed baking sheet, then toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil and Kosher salt. Bake for 7 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Set aside until needed.
- Cut the bacon into lardons. Cut ⅓ lb of sliced bacon into matchsticks that are about ¼" thick.
- Cook the lardons. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the lardons and cook until crispy on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 7-9 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined bowl, leaving the bacon renderings in the pan.
- Make the dressing. Return the skillet to medium heat, then add minced shallot and cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tsp Dijon mustard, then whisk. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Poach the eggs. Fill a medium saucepan with 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low (you want to get to a gentle simmer). Add 1 Tbsp white vinegar, then swirl the water into a whirlpool with a spoon or spatula. Carefully drop in one egg, then let it set for a few seconds. Drop in the second egg. Cook until the whites are cooked through, but the yolk is still runny, about 3-4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with additional eggs, as needed.
- Assemble the salad. Place frisée leaves in a large mixing bowl, then add the lardons. Drizzle the hot bacon dressing on top (if it solidified, heat it up again slightly), then give it a good toss. Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper. Divide the salad evenly between plates, then top each with croutons and a poached egg. Alternatively, assemble to serve family-style. Serve immediately with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
Notes
- If you can’t find frisée lettuce, substitute with escarole or curly endive.
- Toss the salad with warm dressing. This will slightly wilt the greens.
- You can substitute bacon with pancetta.
- If scaling up or down, just ensure 1 poached egg per person. If you don’t want to poach eggs, you can use soft boiled, hard boiled (roughly chopped), or fried eggs.
Let us know your thoughts!