It’s about time again that I make this classic at home! So what do you think about this salad Lyonnaise then? It is a French lettuce salad that contains ingredients such as soldiers (croutons in French), bacon, poached eggs and a simple mustard dressing.
So how about a simple and healthy salad for dinner?
I can assure you that this salad tastes so good after a long day at work. But I can hear you say already, why have a salad for dinner?? What’s wrong with a hot meal?
Well that’s because you haven’t tried this salad before, have you. Because you can call this salad Lyonnaise a lukewarm salad. Just like my salad Liègeoise by the way.
Lukewarm
Why?
Because apart from the lettuce, the rest of the ingredients are warm or lukewarm.
Take for instance the bacon that you have to fry first. And then there are also croutons in it. Last but not least: a freshly poached egg!
Oops. Perhaps the thought of poaching eggs puts you off? Well then you should check out another method that also works: the clingfilm method!
Or you can also add soft boiled eggs to this salad Lyonnaise of course.
Easy Salad Lyonnaise (French Poached Egg Salad)
Salad Lyonnaise means as much as ‘a salad Lyon style’.
And Lyon is a cozy Southern French city sitting in and around the rivers Rhône and Saône. It’s a light salad that contains fresh lettuce, baked soldiers (croutons in French), crunchy grilled salty bacon, a poached egg and a simple mustard dressing.
You can find this typical salad just about everywhere in Lyon.
Every ‘bouchon’ or typical Lyonnaise bistro has this classic on its menu. Or is at least glad to show off with a modern deconstructed interpretation of it. The best wine to accompany the salad is of course a white or red Beaujolais from the same region.
Santé!
And enjoy!
Easy French Salad Lyonnaise Recipe
Classic salad Lyonnaise: a French salad with soldiers (croutons in French), bacon, poached eggs and a simple mustard dressing.
- 2 large eggs
- 4,5 oz salted bacon (125 g), thinly sliced
- 1 head butter lettuce
- 2 slices stale bread diced
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp strong mustard
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- pepper
- salt
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Combine the white wine vinegar, the olive oil and the mustard.
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Whisk until you get a nice looking salad dressing. Then season with a little pepper and salt to taste. Put it aside until later. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat and add the diced bread. Gently brown the bread until golden and crisp. Stir regularly.
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Let then bread croutons drain on kitchen paper and let them cool. Then place the sliced bacon on an oven tray.
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Grill it for a couple of minutes until crisp. Let the cooked bacon cool a little and then crumble it. Wash and drain the lettuce. Slice it up into thin strips and add them to a large mixing bowl. Shred the lettuce roughly and add it to the vinegar in the bowl.
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Then add the cooled croutons.
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Stir and add the crumbled bacon.
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Stir well to combine and divide the salad over deep plates. Fill a large pan with water and place it over high heat. Once boiling, break the eggs and add them one by one to the water. I use a cup to make it easier.
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Turn the heat to medium. Gently poach the eggs for 2 to 3 minutes. Then remove the eggs with a slotted spoon.
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Place a poached egg on top of each salad. Sprinkle with some freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.
