Frisee Salad with Shiitake "Bacon" {recipe} - Holy Shiitake

Frisée Salad with Shiitake Bacon

This is just another take on the classic French bistro salad with bacon and poached eggs from Lyon. It has nothing to do with the Los Angeles Times story other than...it is food.

You can also make the shiitake mushroom bacon in the oven by "roasting" in a 350° oven for about 5 minutes instead of pan-frying.

serves 4

Ingredients

For Shiitake Mushroom "Bacon"

½ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon soy sauce
¼ salt
canola or grapeseed oil for frying

For Salad

2 shallots, very thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, super finely minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
salt and black pepper to taste
2 small heads frisée, washed and cut into 1" pieces
4 poached eggs

Directions

For Shiitake Mushroom "Bacon"

Stem shiitake mushrooms and slice caps into ¼-inch strips. Toss with olive oil, soy sauce and salt. Allow to "marinate" for about 5 minutes.

Heat grapeseed or canola in large frying pan over medium heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms to a separate plate.

For Salad

Add shallots and garlic to pan and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add red wine vinegar and scrape up bits from bottom of pan. Pour into a large heatproof bowl. Add olive oil, chopped parsley, and thyme to the bowl and whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add chopped frisée and shiitake mushroom "bacon" to warm dressing in bowl. Toss to coat. Divide frisée among salad plates, top each with a poached egg (high-level instructions for poached eggs on previous post about Eggs Florentine), garnish with additional chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, thyme).

Serve with grilled baguette if desired. And grilled baguette? Should always be desired.