What is Balthazar 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.

What’s in the Balthazar salad dressing?

A simple but luxurious blend of truffle oil, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Five ingredients, so good together.

Can I make Balthazar salad ahead of time?

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.

Do I need a food processor for this salad?

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.

Is truffle oil necessary?

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.

Can I add protein to make it a meal?

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.

Is this salad served warm or cold?

Cold, crisp, and refreshing — the ice bath step ensures your asparagus and haricots verts stay cool and crunchy, not warm and wilty.

Balthazar Inspired Salad Recipe with Lemon Truffle Vinaigrette

Balthazar Inspired Salad with Lemon Truffle Dressing

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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!

Author: Ellen
Category: Side Dish

Ingredients

Units Scale

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

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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.

Find it online: https://moderateposh.com/balthazar-inspired-salad-truffle-dressing/