Frisée Salad with Lardons & Poached Egg Recipe

This Frisée Salad with Lardons & Poached Egg recipe combines crisp frisée and peppery watercress with smoky bacon, a tangy shallot vinaigrette, and tender poached eggs for a satisfying French-inspired salad. Featured on Cook the Books Season 3: Celebrity Edition from Martha The Cookbook, host Shahir Massoud, this quick dish delivers a delicious contrast of crisp greens, savory lardons, bright vinaigrette, and rich egg yolk in just 15 minutes.

The Inspiration

This recipe comes from Martha The Cookbook and celebrates the flavors of a classic French bistro-style salad. Frisée salad with lardons and poached egg is known for its balance of contrasting ingredients: slightly bitter greens, smoky and salty bacon, sharp vinaigrette, and a soft poached egg that adds richness to every bite.

Frisée forms the foundation of the salad, with its delicate texture and pleasantly bitter character pairing especially well with rich ingredients. Watercress adds another fresh, peppery element, while thick-cut bacon is cooked until golden and its fat has rendered, creating crisp, savory pieces throughout the greens.

Featured on Cook the Books Season 3: Celebrity Edition from Martha The Cookbook, host Shahir Massoud, this recipe demonstrates how a handful of carefully balanced ingredients can create an elegant salad that’s equally suited to brunch, lunch, or a light dinner.

Ingredients

1 medium shallot, finely chopped
4 ½ tsp sherry vinegar
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 large eggs
3 heads of frisee, inner white part only, washed well and spun dry, torn into bite-size pieces
1 small bunch watercress, washed well and spun dry

Method

In a salad bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, and mustard; whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in the oil until well combined; season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown and the fat has rendered, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with ap paper towel to drain.
Fill a large, deep skillet two-thirds full of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.
Break an egg into a small bowl, holding the bowl just over the simmer water, gently slide the egg into the water. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Poach 1 to 2minutes (longer for firm yolk). Use a slotted spoon to remove the poached eggs, and place on a paper towel to drain.
Add the frisee, watercress, and bacon to the salad bowl, and toss gently with the vinaigrette to combine. Divide evenly among 5 serving plates. Top each salad with one poached egg. (I love to slice the egg to show the yolk.) season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestion

Frisée Salad with Lardons & Poached Egg is an excellent choice for brunch, lunch, or a light dinner, especially when you want something fresh that still feels satisfying. The combination of crisp greens, smoky bacon, tangy vinaigrette, and rich poached egg gives the salad enough substance to stand on its own while maintaining the light character of a classic bistro dish.

For brunch, serve the salad alongside toasted baguette, crusty sourdough, roasted potatoes, or fresh fruit. For lunch or dinner, it can accompany a simple soup, roasted vegetables, or another French-inspired dish. Slicing into the poached egg just before eating allows the soft yolk to flow over the frisée and mingle with the vinaigrette, creating an especially rich dressing for the greens.

When serving the salad for guests, assemble it immediately before bringing it to the table so the frisée and watercress retain their crisp texture. The golden bacon and poached egg create an elegant presentation against the pale frisée and vibrant watercress, making this simple salad equally appropriate for casual meals and entertaining.

Final Thoughts

This Frisée Salad with Lardons & Poached Egg recipe demonstrates why simple French bistro combinations remain so appealing. Slightly bitter frisée, peppery watercress, smoky bacon, tangy vinaigrette, and a tender poached egg each contribute a distinctive flavor and texture while complementing one another beautifully.

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