This quirky salad with a Poached Egg in Lettuce nest is served with delicious crisp bacon and mixed seeds.
This whimsical poached egg in lettuce nest recipe is a delicious and creative farm-to-table dish that’s as fun to serve as it is to eat. With crispy bacon, golden croutons, and a punchy umami dressing all nestled in a bed of fresh lettuce, it’s perfect for a fancy brunch or a springtime feast. A dish that proves lettuce isn’t just for salads!
Serves:
6 people
Time to Prepare:
1,5 uur
Time to cook or cure:
1 hour
Skill
Poaching eggs and emulsifying
Serves:
6 people
Time to Prepare:
1 hour
Time to cook or cure:
30 min
Skills:
Poaching, emulsifying
2–3 slices of stale bread (any kind), cubed
4 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of fine salt
2–4 slices of home-cured or good-quality bacon
1 egg
1 heaping tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp crushed mixed peppercorns
4–5 whole anchovies
Flesh of ¼ lemon
120 g (4.2 oz) Parmesan cheese, chopped
100 ml (about ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) thick cream
On head of large crispy fresh lettuce leaves (canasta or iceberg works well)
1 poached egg per person
Optional: toasted mixed seeds for garnish
Cracked black pepper, to finish
Oven tray + rack
Knife + cutting board
Mixing bowl
Tall mixing glass or jar (for dressing)
Immersion blender or blender
Small pot (for poaching)
Ramequin or small bowl (for cracking eggs)
Slotted spoon
Salad spinner or clean towel (for drying lettuce)
Tongs (optional)
Serving plate
Use super-fresh eggs for the best poaching results—they hold their shape and cook evenly.
Save the bacon fat if you’re making more dishes—it’s gold for sautéing greens or frying potatoes.
Make the dressing ahead – it keeps well for 2–3 days in the fridge.
Serve warm or room temp, but don’t let the croutons sit too long or they’ll soften.
You can swap lettuce for tatsoi or endive if you want a slightly more bitter twist.
Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F).
Cube bread into small dice-sized pieces. Place in a tray, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt, and massage well.
Place a rack over the croutons and lay the bacon slices on top.
Bake until the bacon is crisp and the croutons are golden—about 20–25 minutes.
In a tall mixing glass, crack in 1 egg.
Add Dijon mustard, crushed pepper, anchovies, and lemon flesh. Blend until smooth.
Add chopped Parmesan and blend again until a thick paste forms.
Slowly drizzle in cream while blending to emulsify. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Bring a small pot of water to a gentle boil and add a splash of vinegar (about 10% of the water’s volume).
Crack eggs individually into ramequins.
Swirl the water, slide in an egg, and poach for 4 minutes until the white is set but yolk runny.
Remove with a slotted spoon and hold in hot (not boiling) water until serving.
Wash and dry lettuce leaves well. Shape them into loose “nests” in the center of serving plates.
Surround the nest with your golden croutons and optional toasted seeds.
Carefully place a poached egg in the center of each lettuce nest.
Top with crisp bacon and a crack of black pepper.
Drizzle a spoon of the anchovy-Parmesan dressing over or around the egg.
this dish does not store well. You can prepare the dressing and keep it up to two days in the fridge.
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