Salad Lyonnaise (Warm bacon & egg salad)

Salad Lyonnaise (Warm bacon & egg salad)

This traditional warm salad looks stunning but is really simple - great for a summer starter or main course

Difficulty and servings

Easy

SERVES 2 as a light main meal

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 35 mins

Method

  1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan, then add the bacon and garlic. Sizzle for about 15 mins until the bacon is crisp and brown, then scoop it out with a slotted spoon into a bowl, leaving the garlic and bacon fat in the pan. Throw the bread into the pan and toss in the bacon fat, adding the remaining oil if the pan is dry. Fry the croutons for 5 mins on a low heat, tossing occasionally until golden and crisp, then remove pan from heat.
  2. While the croutons are frying, make the dressing. Whisk the chopped shallot, vinegar, mustard and 1 tbsp water in a small bowl. add the oil gradually to make a thick dressing, season, then set aside. Cut away and keep the lighter lettuce leaves and wash if needed, discarding any of the tough outer leaves.
  3. When all of your ingredients are ready, bring a pan of water to a gentle boil and add the vinegar. Crack the eggs into small bowls then gently lower into the water and poach for 3 mins exactly. Line a plate with kitchen paper and use a slotted spoon to lift the eggs onto the plate (see tip).
  4. Tip most of the croutons, lardons, all the leaves and two-thirds of the dressing into a salad bowl and toss well. Pile the salad high into the middle of two plates and arrange the remaining croutons and lardons around the side of the plates with the shallot rings. Drizzle the rest of the dressing around the outside and, just before serving, top each plate of salad with an egg, then season it.
Try

LARDONS

A simple salad like this relies on quality ingredients. Traditionally, the bacon used would be cut off a larger piece into small cubes called 'lardons'. You can buy packs of pre-cut lardons from supermarkets.

POACHED EGGS

To get a perfect teardrop shape for their poached eggs, some chefs trim the frilly edges off the cooked egg with kitchen scissors.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN

Most decent bistros run a variation on the theme of this salad. Other ingredients that are sometimes added and work well are crumbled blue cheese, toasted walnut pieces, pan-fried chicken livers, rounds of black pudding, shredded crispy duck legs, or just cooked green beans.

FRISÉE

Frisée (sometimes called curly endive) is the traditional lettuce to use as the robust leaves hold their shape and texture even against warm ingredients. If you can't find it, use a bag of 'bistro mix' salad, which normally contains frisée as well as other leaves.

CROUTONS

Use slightly stale bread to make croutons. I like to use cubes of crustless baguette, but any white bread is fine.

PER SERVING

839 kcalories, protein 32g, carbohydrate 45g, fat 60 g, saturated fat 15g, fibre 2g, sugar 4g, salt 4.84 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, July 2011.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • 27 June 2012

    Neppy commented on this recipe

    Having just returned from Lyon, I searched for a recipe for this salad. It's really easy, very authentic, and very tasty. I found that 3 mins was a bit long for the eggs - they weren't quite runny enough, and I used fresh large eggs. Next time I'll try them at just over 2 mins. Apart from that, my family and I really enjoyed this meal and I'll be making it again soon. Thank you for such a successful recipe.

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  • Binder photo GLF

    07 October 2012

    GLF rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fantastic Salad

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

SERVES 2 as a light main meal

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 35 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 200g piece of smoked bacon , diced, or a pack of lardons (see tip)
  • 1 garlic clove , smashed once
  • 175g piece crustless white bread , cubed (see tip)
  • 1 small head of frisée lettuce (see tip)
  • 1 shallot , finely sliced into rings

FOR THE DRESSING

FOR THE EGGS

  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 eggs , as fresh as they can possibly be
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PER SERVING

839 kcalories, protein 32g, carbohydrate 45g, fat 60 g, saturated fat 15g, fibre 2g, sugar 4g, salt 4.84 g

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