Asparagus and Puntarelle Salad with Seared Poached Eggs

Name: Asparagus and Puntarelle Salad with Seared Poached Eggs
Cuisine: Mediterranean, European
Ingredients: 4 poached eggs; ½ cup Lemon Vinaigrette; 2 bunches asparagus, woody parts trimmed, thinly sliced on the bias (about 4 cups); 1 head puntarelle (inner core and a few outer leaves) or 2 Belgian endives, thinly sliced on a sharp bias; 1 cup julienned Pickled Fennel; ¼ cup chopped Sevillano or other green olives; 1 serrano chile, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise; ¼ cup fines herbes (equal parts finely chopped chervil, chives, parsley, and tarragon); Extra-virgin olive oil; Flaky sea salt; Freshly ground black pepper

3 steps

Puntarelle isn’t easy to find, but if you spot a head of this long-stemmed chicory (whose proper name is Catalonian chicory) at the farmers market, grab it! The outer leaves are too bitter to use in this salad, so strip them away to find the celery-like stalks at the core. If you can’t find puntarelle, you can substitute Belgian endive or a mix of endive and dandelion greens. This knife-and-fork salad is a study in contrasting textures. A nest of crunchy asparagus, puntarelle, and pickled fennel hides a secret below: a poached egg that’s been seared in a skillet to caramelize the white parts and warm up the runny yolk. When you break into it, the yolk mixes with the lemon vinaigrette, creating a Caesar-like dressing. This is definitely a cheffy technique (especially if you follow the sous-vide poaching directions in the Takeaway, right), but it’s an impressive feat of dinner table magic. If you don’t want to go through the trouble, substitute fried eggs—just make sure the yolks are runny.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 02:55:49 GMT

Nutrition balance score

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Ingredients

4 servings

4eggs

poached

½ cupLemon Vinaigrette

2 bunchesasparagus

woody parts trimmed, thinly sliced on the bias

1 headpuntarelle

inner core and a few outer leaves Belgian ives, thinly sliced on a sharp bias

1 cupPickled Fennel

julienned

¼ cupSevillano olives

chopped, or other green

1serrano chile

halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

¼ cupfines herbes

equal parts finely chopped chervil, chives, parsley, and tarragon

extra-virgin olive oil

flaky sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Step 1

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the poached eggs and cook until lightly browned on two sides, about 30 seconds per side. Divide the eggs among four shallow serving bowls and spoon about 1 tablespoon dressing over each.

Step 2

In a mixing bowl, combine the asparagus, puntarelle, pickled fennel, olives, chile, and herbs. Add the remaining ¼ cup dressing and toss to coat. Divide the salad among the bowls, mounding it over the eggs so they’re hidden. Drizzle the salads with olive oil, season with flaky salt and pepper, and serve.

Step 3

The Takeaway We don’t do a lot of sous vide cooking at my restaurant, but we do use our immersion circulators for making perfectly poached eggs. Not only does it make poaching eggs a painless task, it allows us to poach a big batch in their shells, then refrigerate them until they’re needed. Some folks reheat sous vide–poached eggs in hot water or even in the oven, but we like to sear them briefly in a hot skillet, which not only rewarms the yolks, but also browns the whites to add another layer of flavor. If you have an immersion circulator at home, heat the water to 147°F, add your eggs, and cook them for 1 hour, then chill the eggs until you’re ready to crack and sear.