Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
French Bistro Salad Recipe
This can be a traditional French Salad you discover in bistros all throughout France. It is a wonderful mild and clear salad to serve alongside wealthy meals like roasts, stews and dishes with creamy sauces, which is precisely the meant goal in France!
Welcome to Day 13 of the inaugural Vacation Salad Marathon, the place I’m sharing 30 salads in a row by means of to Christmas Eve – only for one thing completely different to the same old sugar-loaded baking countdowns!!
Off the again of final weeks’ French(ish) Tomato Salad with Olive Tapenade, I’ve one other French one for you:
Hearty French bistro classics like steak frites, boeuf bourguignon, French Onion Soup, Quiche Lorraine and Coq au Vin want a lightweight and clear salad on the aspect to cleanse and refresh the palate … in an effort to eat extra!
This traditional leaf salad has handfuls of herbs for character and color, whereas the gorgeous pink tangles of pickled eschalots carry candy and tangy pops in each chunk. A sprinkling of walnuts offers us a little bit of texture as a ending flourish, and we’re going with a traditional lemon dressing to maintain issues clear and easy.
Right here’s what I’ve put on this salad – however take a look at this recipe extra as a information moderately than one thing to observe precisely.
The principle traits are using recent herbs, some leafy greens, a plain lemon dressing and ideally one thing tangy just like the pickled eschalots I’ve included (however you might simply throw in one thing pickled from a jar as a substitute!).
Herbs – For the herbs I’ve used tarragon (extremely really helpful for actual French), parsley, and chives right here however you should use any mixture of sentimental herbs you want. Dill, chervil, basil would all additionally work splendidly. Attempt to maintain the herb leaves entire or simply roughly chopped or torn if required. Don’t get hung up on the portions both. Simply maintain throwing in herbs till you may style them within the salad!
This brings welcome tang in addition to fairly pops of color into the salad. As talked about above, you might simply swap this out for something from a jar that’s obtained that tangy pickled flavour!
Right here’s what you want:
I’ve used pink wine vinegar right here however you should use white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, sherry or champagne vinegar. White wine vinegar will probably be a bit sharp however that’s simply mounted with somewhat splash of water.
To make the short pickled eschalots, simply stir the sugar till it dissolves within the vinegar, then pickle the eschalots for half-hour till they change into floppy and vibrant pink.
This salad is in fact a pure pairing with any French meals. Excellent to make a meal out of a heat slice of Quiche Lorraine or bowl of French Onion Soup, or as a recent salad alongside a wealthy Coq au Vin.
Equally, it’s very best to serve with any roast, stew like Beef Bourguigon or slow-cooked meats, or meals with wealthy creamy sauces like this reader favorite Creamy Chicken Pasta and Prawns/Shrimp in Creamy Garlic Sauce.
And simply usually, I believe using recent herbs makes it actually pretty and stylish, a pleasant salad to incorporate at huge festive gatherings as a palette cleanser, or as a part of a chic ceremonial dinner. Plus, you get to inform your mates – It’s French, darling! 😂 (I don’t get to play faux posh fairly often, so I’ll take it once I can!)
What’s the Vacation Salad Marathon?
That is my inaugural Christmas recipe countdown the place I’m sharing 30 salad recipes in a row till Christmas Eve – one thing utterly completely different to individuals’s normal baking countdowns!
These salads are along with my common 3 new recipes per week. As a result of aren’t you bored of the same old tomato-cucumber-lettuce backyard salad routine??
Click on right here to see all of the Vacation Salad Marathon recipes to this point, or join immediate updates and also you’ll obtain a free e mail alert each time I publish a brand new salad! 🙂
Generally I’m wondering why I hassle bathing this canine 🤷🏻♀️
Ingredients
- 1/2 big head green oak or butter/bibb lettuce (about 8 big handfuls – but don’t crush the leaves to measure!)
- 1 baby cos/romaine 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)
- 2 eschalots (aka French onion, US: shallots), finely sliced
- 2/3 cup red or white wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp white sugar
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp each salt and 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
. Walnuts – to toast, place in a dry skillet over medium heat and shake/stir for 2 minutes until it smells nutty. Remove from skillet immediately, cool, then use.
2. Salad ingredients:
Lettuce – typically, a French Bistro Salad will include a softer lettuce (Bibb/butter or green oak) plus a lessor amount of a crisper one (in this case baby cos lettuce/romaine).
Herbs – use any fresh soft herbs you want, the combination I’ve used is fairly common. The use of tarragon makes it particularly French. Dill, chervil and basil are especially excellent alternatives.
Eschalots – a scattering of something pickled is common. For a speedy option, just use something out of a jar, finely sliced if it’s big like a pickle, or scattering of capers.
Walnuts – optional here, or sub with another nut like almonds, macadamias, pistachios, cashews. Or pepitas or sunflower seeds. YUM.
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