Chef Juliette
Mayonnaise de Volaille
Cold roast chicken, ciseled lettuce, and a shining coat of homemade mayonnaise, arranged with capers, olives, anchovies, eggs, and lettuce hearts, then tossed at the table as the canon intends.
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Haricot Beans and Lentil Salads, etc.
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1992, Haricot Beans and Lentil Salads, etc., from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
A lesson in restraint: thoroughly drained haricot beans or lentils, a sharp vinaigrette, green parsley, and onion cut cisel and kept apart so every diner chooses the bite.
Salads
French
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
Make Ahead
20 min
Active Time
0 min cook•35 min total
Yield4 servings
Salade de haricots ou de lentilles (bean or lentil salad) teaches one uncompromising thing: drainage is the dish. The vinaigrette (oil-and-vinegar dressing) should cling in a bright film around each bean or lentil, not dilute itself in a puddle at the bottom of the bowl. Get the legumes dry before you dress them, and this modest salad has clean edges, green parsley, sharp vinegar, and the quiet richness of good oil.
The source entry begins with the vegetable already cooked, whatever its kind, because a brigade kept prepared legumes ready for service. That mise en place was scaffolding. For one cook, two cans of haricots or a bowl of home-cooked lentils are the honest equivalent, scaled to four; a fine sieve and clean towel replace the draining station. Only the scale and source of the cooked legumes have changed. The draining, oil, vinegar, parsley, and onion served apart are the dish itself, so none of them goes.
The onion is cut cisel, into very fine crosswise slices, then washed and pressed dry so it brings crisp bite without flooding the salad. Dress the legumes only when a clean towel comes away dry. If they still weep moisture, give them five minutes more. Ça se rattrape, and that patient draining is the step that matters most.
Salades de légumes secs sit at the French cuisine bourgeoise table and among the plain hors-d'œuvres of Parisian bistros, where cooked haricots or lentils become a fresh first course through careful draining and sharp seasoning. The classical repertory treats this as a method rather than a single regional formula: oil, vinegar, parsley, then onion cut cisel, washed, pressed, and offered apart. Serving the onion separately is not an affectation; it protects the clean legume salad while letting each diner choose the raw bite.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fully cooked white haricot beans or green or brown lentils
Quantity
2½ cups (600 ml / 500 g)
choose one; cooled and thoroughly drained
mild olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 41 g)
wine vinegar
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g)
fine salt
Quantity
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g), plus more only if needed
flat-leaf parsley leaves
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 15 g)
chopped
yellow onion
Quantity
½ small (about ⅓ cup / 60 g)
peeled
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fully cooked white haricot beans or green or brown lentilschoose one; cooled and thoroughly drained | 2½ cups (600 ml / 500 g) |
| mild olive oil | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 41 g) |
| wine vinegar | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) |
| fine salt | ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g), plus more only if needed |
| flat-leaf parsley leaveschopped | ¼ cup (60 ml / 15 g) |
| yellow onionpeeled | ½ small (about ⅓ cup / 60 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •8-inch (20 cm) fine-mesh sieve
- •2-quart (2 L) mixing bowl
- •Clean tea towel or paper towels
- •Small whisk
- •Sharp chef's knife
Instructions
- 1
Drain the legumes
Choose haricots or lentils rather than combining them, so the salad keeps one clear texture. If using canned haricots, rinse them briefly to remove the thick canning liquor. Leave the legumes in a fine sieve for 10 minutes, then spread them over a clean towel and blot gently. They must be cool and dry before the vinaigrette touches them. If the towel still picks up obvious moisture, leave them for another five minutes. Ça se rattrape; patience now prevents a watery bowl later.
The legumes should be tender all the way through but retain their shape. Split skins are harmless; a mass that collapses under the spoon belongs in soup, not this salad. - 2
Whisk the vinaigrette
Put the vinegar and salt in the mixing bowl and whisk until the salt dissolves. Add the oil in a thin stream, whisking until the vinaigrette looks cloudy and lightly joined. It will separate if left standing, which is its nature rather than a failure; whisk it once more immediately before adding the legumes. Taste it now. It should seem a little sharper than necessary because the legumes will soften its edge.
- 3
Dress and rest
Add the drained legumes and chopped parsley to the vinaigrette. Fold gently with a broad spoon until every piece carries a light gloss, taking care not to crush tender lentils or strip the skins from the beans. Leave the salad for 15 minutes so the seasoning enters the legumes. If dressing collects in a watery pool, lift the salad into a clean bowl with a slotted spoon, rewhisk the liquid, and return only enough to coat it. The salad should gleam, not swim.
- 4
Cut the onion cisel
Cut the onion cisel, meaning into the finest crosswise slices you can manage, like short pieces passing through a chaff cutter. Rinse the slices thoroughly under cold water, then wrap them in a clean towel and press firmly until dry. Washing tempers the raw sulfurous bite; pressing keeps that water out of the salad. If the onion remains fiercely sharp, soak it in cold water for five minutes, drain, and press again. Keep it in a separate little dish.
- 5
Taste and serve
Taste the salad after its rest and add only enough salt to make the vinegar and parsley distinct. Serve cool or at room temperature in a shallow dish, with the washed and pressed onion beside it so each diner adds as much as desired. If the salad has been chilled, let it stand out for 20 minutes first; cold mutes the vinaigrette and stiffens the oil. One cook, one bowl, one evening. À table!
Chef Tips
- •White haricots should be creamy inside without collapsing. Green or brown lentils keep their shape and drain cleanly; red lentils soften into a purée and are better saved for soup.
- •Canned haricots are an honest pantry answer for a weeknight. Rinse away the thick liquor, then drain with real patience. A careful cook does more for this salad than an expensive bean ever could.
- •Use a mild oil and proper wine vinegar. This is a small vinaigrette with nowhere to hide, so stale oil or harsh distilled vinegar will announce itself in every bite.
- •Keep the onion apart even if everyone in your kitchen loves it. That separation belongs to the preparation, not to ceremony, and it lets the clean parsley-dressed legumes remain themselves.
- •The same method suits another firm, fully cooked legume. C'est la même grammaire: drain thoroughly, season sharply, add parsley, and serve the onion separately.
Advance Preparation
- •The dressed salad can be made up to 24 hours ahead. Cover and chill it, then bring it toward room temperature for 20 minutes and fold gently before serving.
- •Keep the washed, pressed onion in its own covered container for up to 4 hours. Do not fold it into the salad during storage, or its flavor will dominate and its remaining moisture will thin the vinaigrette.
- •Dried beans or lentils may be cooked up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated in a little of their cooking liquid. Drain them thoroughly only when you are ready to assemble the salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 160g)
Calories
275 calories
Total Fat
11 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
300 mg
Total Carbohydrates
34 g
Dietary Fiber
14 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
11 g
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