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Balthazar Inspired Salad with Lemon Truffle Dressing
Some salads are a side dish. This one is a statement. Over 20 years ago, Alfred and I took a cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education called Signature Dishes of Iconic NYC Restaurants (or something like that. It’s been 20 years!)— and this Balthazar salad walked away as the undisputed MVP of the entire course. Two decades, countless dinner parties, and one very well-loved food processor later, I’m still making my version of it. Consider this your personal invitation to feel extremely fancy in your own kitchen.
What Makes the Balthazar Salad So Iconic
It’s not just lettuce, people. It’s the texture. Thin ribbons of radicchio and fennel (thank you, food processor), snappy blanched asparagus and haricots verts, and a lemon truffle dressing that makes everything taste like a special occasion. This salad has main-character energy.
The Secret to Restaurant-Quality Slices at Home
Run your radicchio, fennel and radishes through a food processor for paper-thin, uniform slices in seconds — no fancy knife skills required. It’s the kind of shortcut that makes you look like you trained under a French chef, when really you just pushed a button.
Why You Blanch and Ice Bath the Veggies
Blanching the asparagus and haricots verts and shocking them in an ice bath locks in that vibrant green color and keeps everything perfectly crisp-tender. This step is what separates “pretty good salad” from “wait, how did you make this?”
The Truffle Dressing That Ties It All Together
Truffle oil, lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper — that’s it. Five ingredients doing the work of twenty. It’s simple, but it’s the kind of simple that makes people ask for the recipe before they’ve even finished their first bite.
When to Serve Your Balthazar Inspired Salad
This is your go-to for elegant dinner parties, “I’m feeling fancy” Tuesdays, or any time you want to serve something extra. Between the colors, the textures, and that intoxicating truffle dressing, this is hands-down the most iconic salad I’ve ever eaten — and I have a feeling it’s about to become yours, too.
What’s in the Balthazar inspired salad
- romaine lettuce
- fennel
- radicchio
- radish
- lemon
- asparagus
- haricots verts
- truffle oil
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Balthazar Inspired Salad with Lemon Truffle Dressing
Crisp, colorful, and unapologetically fancy. This Balthazar salad pairs paper-thin radicchio and fennel with perfectly blanched asparagus and haricots verts, all tossed in a luxurious truffle oil and lemon dressing. It is the ultimate elegant side dish to make you feel extra at home!
- Category: Side Dish
Ingredients
- 5 ounces of romaine lettuce, chopped or store bagged
- 1 head radicchio, thinly sliced
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1/4 pound radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound asparagus
- 1/4 pound haricots verts
- zest of 1 lemon
Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup truffle oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Thinly slice the radicchio, fennel and radishes by running it through the slicer of your food processor or mandoline. Wash and thoroughly dry by spinning in a salad spinner and laying them out to dry on a clean kitchen towel.
- Prepare an ice bath. Blanch the asparagus and haricots verts in boiling water for 6 minutes, until just tender and immediately shock the asparagus and haricots verts to stop them from cooking. Drain and lay out on a kitchen towel to dry.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, radicchio, fennel, radishes, asparagus, haricots verts and lemon zest.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, truffle oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk until emulsified. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until evenly coated.
❓ FAQ’s for Balthazar Inspired Salad
Balthazar salad is a chic, vegetable-forward salad inspired by the iconic Balthazar brasserie in NYC. This version features shaved fennel, radicchio, and radishes with blanched asparagus and haricots verts in a truffle-lemon dressing. It is not the exact recipe, but a homage to it. There are more ingredients to the original salad and I whittled it down over the years to what I personally found to be easier and more accessible.
A simple but luxurious blend of truffle oil, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Five ingredients, so good together.
Yes! Shave your veggies and blanch the asparagus and haricots verts in advance, then store them separately. Dress it just before serving so everything stays crisp and gorgeous.
Not strictly, but it’s a game-changer. It slices the radicchio, fennel, and radishes into whisper-thin ribbons in seconds. A mandoline or sharp knife works too — just watch those fingers.
It’s the star of the show, so I highly recommend it. A little goes a long way, so start small and add to taste. Prefer to skip it? A splash of extra lemon and good olive oil still makes a lovely salad.
Absolutely. Grilled chicken, shrimp, or a soft-boiled egg all play beautifully with the truffle dressing. To serve alongside, grilled chicken, seared salmon, or even a simple roast chicken all play beautifully this salad if you want to turn it into a full meal.
Cold, crisp, and refreshing — the ice bath step ensures your asparagus and haricots verts stay cool and crunchy, not warm and wilty.
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