The weather is so amazing here at the moment that all I want to do is to sit outside and eat just fruits and vegetables. Ok, maybe a few others things too. Today I have for you a very simple yet elegantly presented French Bistro salad with a twist on vinaigrette.
I’m eating this on repeat every week as I have started getting green beans from my garden. Green beans are a good source of Vitamin C and fiber. If you love greens check out my herby black bean pasta with green beans and aloo beans As you have probably guessed by now, the green beans in this recipe are joined by potatoes and eggs, for protein and carbs, and tossed with a luscious vinaigrette that gives a little zing to the whole thing. The result is really quite lovely and super tasty. You can serve it as a side or a main since it’s a complete meal in itself. For a more substantial meal, you can serve some sourdough toast or a sandwich on the side.
The recipe is pretty straightforward. You start by cooking the eggs, then side by side the potatoes and the green beans. The beans are plunged into a bowl of ice water to cool them down and stop them from over-cooking. We want them al dente, not mushy. Sometimes I steam the beans in the instant pot but the color does not stay vibrant green.
To put the salad together, just grab a big salad bowl or plate, place the cooled potatoes, green beans, onion, radish, and toss them with the wasabi vinaigrette, arrange halved boiled eggs on top.
Has anyone heard of wasabi vinaigrette before? I found the recipe here, tried it on potatoes last week and it was so tasty that I immediately decided to share the recipe. I could not find the wasabi paste at my local grocery store. So I used wasabi aioli. I altered the recipe a little. I hope you try this French Bistro salad with the wasabi paste vinaigrette or wasabi aioli vinaigrette either way it is something that you will enjoy in the heat of the summer.
If you make this French Bistro salad, please let me know how you enjoyed it and if you made any changes.
A simple summer salad with plenty of yummy bits, all tossed in a lovely zingy wasabi vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 4-6 eggs
- 1 1/2 lbs. green beans, trimmed
- 350 g baby potatoes
- 1 red onion, sliced
- Few radish, sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped salad leaves
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1-2 tbsp wasabi aioli (use less if using wasabi paste)
- 3 tbsp pickled ginger (without any juice)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped shallots
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp turbinado sugar (if your pickled ginger has sugar then you might not need extra)
Instructions
- Prep your baby potatoes. Boil them in a pot until fork tender. I did it in instant pot for 5minutes with natural pressure release. When they cool down cut them into half.
- Steam the beans or boil them until they're tender-crisp (I steamed them for 2 minutes and then submerged in ice water bath to stop the cooking process and preserve their bright green color.
- Hard boil your eggs (I do 1 minute boil and let the eggs stand in the in hot water for 11 minutes). Check my video how to boil eggs perfectly for guidance. This way the yolks are fully set and the whites are tender. You can do this all at once if you're coordinated.
- Meanwhile, add all the vinaigrette ingredients to a blender jar and blend until smooth.
- Tip the green beans, halved potatoes, radish and onion into a large platter. Gently toss with the dressing. Scatter chopped salad leaves. Top with halves of hard-boiled eggs.
- Season with extra salt and pepper, then serve straight away.
John / Kitchen Riffs
What a terrific looking salad! That vinaigrette looks outstanding. We eat tons of main course salads at this time of the year (throughout the year, actually), and this would be perfect for us. Thanks!
angiesrecipes
I like the vinaigrette made with Japanese mustard too. Your salad looks fabulous and those hard boiled eggs are perfectly done.
Judee
I love potatoes and green beans in a salad. Looks lovely and I’m sure it tastes amazing with that vinaigrette.
delphine
Un délicieuse salade
merci beaucoup
2pots2cook
We love wasabi paste. All these vegetables and wasabi makes a great salad to have for summer lunch!
Renu
Wow, nothing like homegrown and making food from it I did not have much luck with french beans this time but maybe next. I am loving this salad and especially the dressing. Sounds yum
mjskitchen
What a gorgeous salad and just perfect for a summer garden salad.