French Bistro Salad
User Reviews
5
French Bistro Salad
Description
This salad uses two types of lettuce providing softness and crispness: green oak lettuce (or butter or bibb) and baby romaine lettuce. Fresh herbs including tarragon, chives, and parsley add aromatic notes typical in French cuisine. The quick-pickled eschalots introduce a mildly sweet, vinegary element by soaking thinly sliced shallots in a mixture of red wine vinegar and sugar until tender and pink.
The dressing of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper provides bright acidity and smoothness to coat the greens without overpowering the delicate flavors. Toasted, roughly chopped walnuts add texture and a nutty richness, though they are optional.
The salad is gently tossed using dressing on the base lettuce, then topped with herbs, pickled eschalots, and nuts before a light final drizzle. The layering maintains a balanced distribution of flavors and textures.
Walnuts can be toasted in a dry skillet until fragrant to enhance their flavor. Alternative soft herbs such as dill, chervil, or basil can replace or complement the included herbs. For quicker preparation, pickled items from a jar like capers or pickles can substitute for the homemade eschalots.
Ingredients
- 1/2 green oak lettuce about 8 big handfuls - but don't crush the leaves to measure!, or butter or bibb lettuce
- 1 romaine lettuce baby, or baby cos lettuce
- 1/2 cup tarragon leaves
- 1/2 cup chives , cut into 3cm / 1 1/2" lengths
- 3/4 cup parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup walnuts , roughly chopped then toasted and cooled (optional, Note 1)
Quick Pickled Eschalots:
- 2 shallot aka French onion, US: shallots), finely sliced, aka eschalots
- 2/3 cup red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp white sugar
Dressing:
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Quick Pickled Eschalots: Stir sugar in vinegar until dissolved. Stir in eschalots, then leave for 30 minutes until it becomes floppy and turns pink. Drain.
- Dressing: Shake Dressing in a jar.
- Assemble: Pile lettuce on a platter (flatter better than deep bowl). Drizzle with about 1/2 the Dressing then toss gently with your hands. Scatter over fresh herbs, pickled eschalots and walnuts. Drizzle lightly with more Dressing. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes until fragrant; cool before adding.
- Use a mix of soft lettuces like green oak and baby romaine for a balance of texture.
- Tarragon adds characteristic French flavor; dill, chervil, or basil make good herb alternatives.
- Quick pickled eschalots can be substituted with jarred pickled items like capers or finely sliced pickles for convenience.
- Walnuts may be replaced with almonds, macadamias, pistachios, cashews, or seeds such as pepitas or sunflower if preferred.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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