Jacques Pépin’s Simple Green Salad with Shallots and Herbs
Jacques Pépin grew up eating this salad — or some version of it — at the family restaurant his mother ran in Bourg-en-Bresse. It is the salad of French home cooking: a large bowl of whatever lettuce is in the garden, dressed in a vinaigrette made in the bottom of the salad bowl itself. The defining technique is making the dressing directly in the serving bowl before adding the leaves, so that the mustard and shallot cling to the bowl’s sides and coat every leaf as you toss. Pépin calls it “the most important salad I know.”
Ingredients (serves 4)
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Boston or Bibb lettuce, large heads | 2 (about 300 g total) |
| Shallot, very finely minced | 1 large (about 2 tbsp) |
| Fresh tarragon leaves | 1 tbsp |
| Fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped | 2 tbsp |
| Fresh chives, cut in ½-inch lengths | 2 tbsp |
| Jacques Pépin Vinaigrette in a Jar | 5 tbsp |
| Fleur de sel and black pepper | to taste |
Method
- Separate the lettuce leaves, discarding the tough outer leaves. Wash in cold water and spin thoroughly dry. Wrap in a towel and chill for 20–30 minutes.
- Make the vinaigrette directly in the large salad bowl: add the minced shallot, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Add the vinaigrette from the jar and stir briefly with a fork. Let the shallot macerate in the dressing for 5 minutes — this takes the sharp raw edge off without losing its flavour.
- Place the chilled lettuce leaves in the bowl on top of the dressing. Do not toss yet.
- Scatter the tarragon, parsley, and chives over the leaves.
- At the table, toss vigorously from the bottom, ensuring the dressing that has pooled at the base coats every leaf. Pépin always tosses salad at the table — he considers it part of the ritual of the meal.
- Serve immediately on room-temperature plates (cold plates shock the oil in the dressing).
Notes
- Pépin’s jar vinaigrette is deliberately mild — he uses Dijon mustard as an emulsifier and a 3:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio, slightly richer than many French formulas, so it clings to soft Boston lettuce without overpowering it.
- The shallot is non-negotiable for Pépin. He minces it by hand, never in a food processor, so the texture stays present in the finished salad.
- This salad is served after the main course in French tradition — it refreshes the palate before cheese.
- In summer, add a few torn basil leaves. In autumn, a small handful of walnut halves toasted in a dry pan for 3 minutes.
- Bibb/Boston lettuce bruises easily — use your hands, not tongs, when tossing.
Dressing: Jacques-Pepin-Vinaigrette-in-a-Jar