frisee

This recipe, adapted from the Los Angeles restaurant Mozza, dresses mixed frisée lightly, with a simple dressing of two kinds of mustard, lemon juice and olive oil. It's done in minutes, and serves as a light, tart side for pretty much any occasion, whether a holiday feast or a weeknight meal.

Bitter Greens Salad With Lemon-Mustard Dressing

mustard

Dijon mustard

lemon juice

olive oil

Salt

black pepper

radicchio

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mustards and 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice.

While whisking vigorously, drizzle in the olive oil until thickened. Adjust lemon juice to taste, and season with salt and pepper.

Place greens in a serving bowl and toss with just enough dressing to lightly coat them. Reserve any remaining dressing for another use.

This salmon needs to be made at least three days ahead, which means very little work to do on Christmas day

Dazzling Beetroot-Cured Salmon

salmon

caster sugar

horseradish

raw beetroot (about 250 grams/9 ounces), coarsely grated (no need to peel)

sea salt flakes

dill,

frisée, or oak leaf lettuce, leaves separated

beetroot, cooked, peeled and diced

shallots, finely chopped

tub crème fraîche

lemon

tbsp horseradish

dill fronds, roughly chopped

Dazzling beetroot-cured salmon

Lay the salmon fillets, skin side down, on a board and brush your hand along it. If you feel any little pin bones pinch them out with your fingers or tweezers. In a bowl, mix all of the other ingredients for the salmon together to make the cure.

Stretch two large sheets of cling film over a work surface and spoon over some of the cure. Lay one of the fillets, skin side down, on the cure, then pack over most of the cure, and sandwich with the remaining fillet, skin side up. Top with the last of the cure and wrap both fillets together tightly with lots of cling film. Place in a container with sides, like a large roasting tray, put a smaller tray on top and weigh it down with a couple of tins. Leave in the fridge for at least three days or up to a week. Don’t be alarmed by the amount of liquid that leaks out, this is normal. Once a day, pour away the liquid, turn the salmon and re-apply the weights.

To serve, unwrap the salmon from the cling film and brush off the marinade. Slice the salmon into thin slivers. Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together with some salt and pepper. Toss all the salad ingredients together and serve each guest with a few slices of salmon, a handful of salad and drizzle with the dressing. Once made the salmon will sit happily in the fridge for up to a week and can be used just like smoked salmon.

Whether Lyon ever was the gastronomic capital of France is debatable, but it sure has spawned some great dishes, including salade Lyonnaise, not the most simple salad ever made but one that approaches perfection in a way others do not. The combination of bitter greens (traditionally frisée, though escarole, dandelion, and arugula all work beautifully), crisp bacon, barely cooked eggs and warm vinaigrette is really unbeatable.

Salade Lyonnaise

frisée

extra virgin olive oil

bacon

shallot, chopped, or 1 tablespoon chopped red onion

sherry vinegar

eggs

Black pepper

Put frisée or other greens in large salad bowl. Put olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When hot, add bacon and cook slowly until crisp all over, about 10 minutes. Add shallot or onion and cook until softened, a minute or two. Add vinegar and mustard to the skillet and bring just to a boil, stirring, then turn off heat.

Meanwhile, bring about an inch of salted water to a boil in a small, deep skillet, then lower heat to barely bubbling. One at a time, break eggs into a shallow bowl and slip them into the bubbling water. Cook eggs for 3 to 5 minutes, just until the white is set and the yolk has filmed over. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towel.

If necessary, gently reheat dressing, then pour over greens (they should wilt just a bit), toss and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each portion with an egg and serve immediately. (Each person gets to break the egg.)

Mark Bittman prepares an essential French salad with fresh greens, bacon and egg.

At Via Carota, the charming West Village restaurant run by the partners Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, the menu description for insalata verde does little to give away any details about what makes it so unbelievably, mouth-smackingly perfect. A visual inspection of the dish reveals only leaves of endive, butter lettuce, frisée and watercress all piled as high as gravity will allow, topped by a drizzle of dressing studded generously with shallots and mustard seeds. In truth, all the secrets of this otherworldly salad lay in the graceful, unlikely application of a flavorless one: water. First, the five carefully chosen types of lettuce are all triple-washed to yield what Williams called “a super happy salad.” Next, the minced shallots are given a quick rinse under cold water — instead of a long maceration in vinegar — to keep them shalloty and savory and prevent them from becoming too acidic, which could overwhelm the delicate lettuces. And finally, and perhaps most surprising, Williams adds a spoonful of warm water to the vinaigrette. “We add warm water to make it more palatable,” she explained. “Pure vinegar is just too strong — it assaults the taste buds. We want a salad dressing so savory and delicious that you can eat spoonfuls of it. We want you to be able to drink it!” This might just become your go-to vinaigrette. Spoon it liberally over everything from boiled asparagus to farro salad to steak and fish and roast chicken. It’s so good that you might even be tempted to pour it into a glass and top it off with sparkling water.

Via Carota’s Insalata Verde

butter lettuce,

romaine heart

Belgian endive

watercress

head frisée

shallot,

water

honey (optional)

thyme,

garlic,

Salt and black pepper

Wash the greens: Fill a sink or large basin with tepid water. Remove any wilted or damaged leaves from the butter lettuce, romaine and endive. Trim each head at the root to release whole leaves. Leave butter-lettuce leaves whole, but halve large leaves of romaine and endive on the bias, then drop into water. Trim and discard any roots and long stems off watercress, and drop remaining leaves and tender stems into water. Trim and discard dark green outer leaves and tops from frisée until only light green and white parts remain. Trim at the root to release leaves, and drop into water. Swirl greens in water, then drain. Wash twice more in cool, then cold, water, then transfer to a salad spinner to dry. Gently wrap in clean dish towels, and set aside.

Place the shallot in a fine-mesh strainer, and quickly rinse with cold water. Allow to drain, then place in a medium bowl, and add vinegar and warm water. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then whisk in oil, mustards, honey (if using), thyme, garlic and a large pinch of salt. Taste, and adjust salt and vinegar as needed.

To serve, gently pile a generous handful of greens into a serving bowl, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of dressing. Continue with another handful of salad and more seasoning and dressing, repeating until you have a glorious, gravity-defying mound of salad. Top with a final drizzle of dressing, and serve immediately.

Wrap remaining greens in an airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Cover and refrigerate remaining dressing for up to 3 days.

Your Thanksgiving spread doesn’t just need a salad—it needs THIS salad with a bright, tart-sweet cranberry dressing.

Bitter Greens With Cranberry Dressing

Tbsp. raw sugar

Tbsp. maple syrup

pecans

whole-berry cranberry sauce

nutmeg

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

parsley

Tbsp. finely chopped mint

Tbsp. white wine vinegar

frisée,

Manchego cheese, shaved

“If tart-sweet cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple, why not use it to dress a bright, vibrant salad? In this recipe endives and frisée are topped with a chunky, tangy dressing made from canned whole-cranberry sauce—a bracing foil to earthy bitter greens. Sprinkled with crunchy candied pecans and salty shavings of Manchego cheese, this fresh and lively side is the dream complement to what can otherwise be a rather heavy spread.” —Jessie YuChen, assistant food editor

Bon Appétit

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix raw sugar, maple syrup, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a bowl. Add pecans and toss to coat. Spread pecans out on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until sugar is bubbling, 6–8 minutes, then continue to bake 3 minutes longer to allow sugar to caramelize. Let cool; break into small pieces.

Whisk cranberry sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, nutmeg, and 5 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl to combine; season cranberry dressing with salt.

Whisk parsley, mint, vinegar, and remaining 7 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl to combine; season herby dressing with salt and pepper. Add endive and frisée to bowl and toss to coat.

Arrange salad on a platter and drizzle some cranberry dressing over. Top with Manchego cheese and candied pecan pieces. Serve with remaining cranberry dressing alongside.

Poaching eggs is one of those cooking techniques that's shrouded in mystery—but for no good reason! We have two tricks that will help you poach with confidence, even if it's the first time.

Frisée Salad With Bacon Vinaigrette

¼ baguette

thick-cut bacon (about 6 slices)

shallot

chives

frisée (about 1 large head)

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

red wine vinegar,

Tbsp. honey

Poaching eggs is one of those cooking techniques that's shrouded in mystery—but for no good reason! We have two tricks that will help you poach with confidence—even if it's the first time—and yield runny yolks surrounded my firm but not bouncy whites. Perch one atop a French bistro-style salad and magic happens: The yolks mingle with the bacon vinaigrette (that's right—we're using bacon renderings as the fatty element of the salad dressing) to create a rich sauce that coats the lettuce and the crunchy-soft croutons. We're calling for 1 poached egg per salad in this recipe, but if you’re really hungry and want to make a more filling meal of it, go ahead and poach 2 eggs per person. The method is the same.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Meanwhile, tear ¼ baguette into 1" irregular craggy pieces (these will be your croutons). Cut 6 oz. thick-cut bacon crosswise into ¾" strips. Peel 1 large shallot, then thinly slice crosswise. Slice ½ small bunch of chives into ¾" batons.

Thoroughly wash and dry 8 cups frisée. Transfer to a large bowl.
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Heat 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium skillet over medium until shimmering. Add torn bread and stir well to evenly coat in oil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp in some areas, 4–5 minutes. You aren’t looking for croutons that are crisp all the way through—just some good browning on the outside. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and transfer to a plate. Let cool; reserve skillet.

Return skillet to medium heat. Cook bacon, stirring frequently, until just shy of crisp, 4–5 minutes.

Add shallots and ½ tsp. pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are just softened, about 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in ¼ cup red wine vinegar, scraping bottom of skillet to collect all those yummy bits.

Add 1 Tbsp. honey, stirring to combine. Taste the dressing—if it feels like it needs a little bit more acidity, add a splash of vinegar. Every type of bacon will render out a different amount of fat, and it’s that fat that will balance out the acidic vinegar, so you have to use your judgement.

Time to poach 2 eggs! Crack each egg into small separate bowls. Working over another bowl or the sink, carefully tilt bowl into a fine-mesh sieve, allowing excess white to slip through. This leaves behind a smaller orb of egg white that surrounds the yolk and ensures that your poached eggs won't have those scraggly, tail bits. Transfer egg to a medium shallow bowl. Repeat with remaining egg and transfer to same medium bowl.

Carefully lower rim of medium bowl into saucepan of boiling water. Tilt bowl so each egg gently drops into the water, one by one. Turn off heat and set a timer for 3 minutes. Poaching the eggs in hot, unmoving water, allows them to cook super gently.

While eggs cook, toss lettuce, bacon vinaigrette, croutons, and chives to combine; season with salt. Divide salad between bowls.

Back to those eggs. Using a slotted spoon, scoop up each egg and lightly blot on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to remove any water clinging on.

Transfer egg to top of each salad; season eggs with salt and pepper.

 If you aren’t into bitter greens, this salad from vegetable maestro Bryant Terry may change your mind.

Bitter Greens With Sweet Mustard Vinaigrette

apple cider vinegar

Tbsp. light agave nectar

walnut oil

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

walnuts

frisée, leaves separated and torn

radicchio, leaves separated and torn

Granny Smith apple, cored, cut into matchsticks

celery stalks, peeled, thinly sliced on a diagonal

If you aren’t into bitter vegetables, this salad may just change your mind. To chef-author-activist Bryant Terry, who adapted the recipe from his book Vegetable Kingdom, the acerbic notes of bitter greens such as frisée and radicchio are often underappreciated but ideal for balancing this assertive sweet-tart dressing.

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, agave, and mustard in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly stream in oil; whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

Toast walnuts in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until slightly darkened, 5–8 minutes. Let cool.

Toss frisée, radicchio, apple, and celery in a large bowl to combine. Season with salt and pepper; squeeze lemon juice over. Toss with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Transfer to a platter and top with walnuts.

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Top 7 frisee recipes from across the web

The most viewed frisee recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Bitter Greens Salad With Lemon-Must...

Dazzling Beetroot-Cured Salmon

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Bitter Greens With Cranberry Dressi...

Frisée Salad With Bacon Vinaigrette

Bitter Greens With Sweet Mustard Vi...

The most viewed frisee recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine