Salade gourmande is a classic French salad. It's extremely simple, and in this version I've used warm, pan fried chicken livers with lettuce, tomatoes and walnuts.
With a quick and delicious truffle oil dressing, this whole meal can be made in minutes.
Enjoy as a starter, lunch or main course.
Bon appétit!
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❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Cooks in 5 minutes.
- 250 calories per starter portion.
- Easy to assemble.
- Simple to vary the ingredients.
- Enjoy as a starter, lunch or main course.
🤔FAQs
In English this is the equivalent of chefs salad, a signature dish on the menu of any good restaurant.
It normally includes duck or goose foie gras and other cured or preserved meats, lettuce and truffle.
This is still such a staple on many French restaurant menus and I've eaten many variations in my time in France.
The secret to it is simplicity. Rather than having a huge plate or bowl of salad, the salad leaves form a base and the rest of the ingredients are arranged in a single layer on top.
There always seems to be a luxury or gourmet item such as foie gras or smoked duck breast. Obviously, for the majority of people, eating foie gras is unethical and it is banned from being produced in the UK.
My choice is to replace the foie gras with pan fried chicken livers. They are economical to buy, taste delicious and are healthy too. If you don't like liver there are plenty of other variations that are worthy of the title, salade gourmande.
In fact, the French are obsessed with offal products and it's easy to find gizzards in the supermarkets, although they are not for the faint hearted. This all stems from history, when meat was a luxury and no part of an animal was wasted.
Rather than using shaved black truffles, which are totally delicious but obviously ridiculously expensive, I have discovered extra virgin olive oil with white truffle. It has an intoxicating smell and is perfect for the dressing. The best thing is that a little goes a long way and often costs the same as other extra virgin olive oils.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Chicken livers - widely available from supermarkets, fresh or frozen.
- Tomatoes - cherry tomatoes look prettier on the plate than a salad tomato. I used aromatica baby cherry tomatoes.
- Oil - extra virgin olive oil is the best type to use in dressings for the flavour and I have usedextra virgin olive oil with white truffle for extra flavour.
- Seasoning - freshly ground black pepper and flaked sea salt.
- Walnuts - the walnuts will be chopped so I buy the cheaper walnut pieces.
- Salad - typically a mixture of green and red salad leaves are used, so I've used a mixed bag of salad.
- Vinegar - white wine vinegar.
- Butter - this gives a rich flavour to the chicken livers. If you use salted butter reduce the salt you add to the livers.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- kitchen paper
- frying pan or skillet
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- colander
🔪 Instructions
Start by rinsing the chicken livers under plenty of cold water in a colander.
Next, use several sheets of kitchen paper and place the chicken livers in an even layer.
Add a few pieces of kitchen paper on top and leave for a few minutes.
Cut the livers into even sized pieces about 4 or 5 centimetres.
Slice the tomatoes across the middle.
Roughly chop the walnuts so that there are still some larger pieces.
Mix together the oils and vinegar and season to taste.
I find it's easier to put the ingredients into an empty jam jar and shake the contents together just before serving.
Season the chicken livers with the salt and pepper just before cooking.
⏲️Cooking Time
Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the chicken livers in a single layer and spread out well.
Cook for 2 minutes then turn over for a further 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
The livers will be slightly pink in the middle.
This recipe serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a meal.
Divide the salad leaves between 4 dinner plates.
Arrange the pan fried chicken livers on top.
Add the sliced tomatoes and scatter over the walnuts.
Drizzle over the dressing just before serving warm.
🥗 Side Dishes
Serve with:
- crusty bread
- toast
- Fougasse Bread
🥙 Substitutions
- Chicken livers - use shop bought duck pâté.
- Truffle oil - replace with the same amount of extra virgin olive oil.
📖 Variations
Try these vegetable additions.
- cooked asparagus
- olives
- artichokes (from a jar)
- cubes of melon
- avocado
Vary the protein with some of these ideas.
- slices of brie
- smoked sliced duck breast
- king prawns
- smoked salmon
- hard boiled quail eggs
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Freezer - pack the liver in suitable air tight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat - reheat in a frying pan over a medium heat with a little butter.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- This is such a quick recipe but you could make the dressing and store in the fridge in a jar. Prepare the chicken livers and place in a sealed container up to a day before cooking.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More starters and recipes with liver
📋 Recipe
Salade Gourmand
Equipment
- kitchen paper
- Frying pan or skillet
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- colander
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken livers
- 170 g salad leaves bag
- 16 cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon truffle oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 15 g walnuts 6 walnut halves
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon salt extra to taste for dressing
- ¼ teaspoon pepper extra to taste for dressing
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken livers under plenty of cold water in a colander.
- Use several sheets of kitchen paper and place the chicken livers in an even layer. Add a few pieces on top and leave for a few minutes.
- Cut the livers into even sized pieces about 4 or 5 centimetres.
- Slice the tomatoes across the middle.
- Roughly chop the walnuts so that there are still some larger pieces.
- Mix together the oils and vinegar and season to taste.
- Season the chicken livers with the salt and pepper.
- Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat.
- Add the chicken livers in a single layer and spread out well.
- Cook for 2 minutes then turn over for a further 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. The livers will be slightly pink in the middle.
- Divide the salad leaves between 4 dinner plates.
- Arrange the pan fried chicken livers on top.
- Add the sliced tomatoes and scatter over the walnuts.
- Shake the dressing and drizzle over just before serving warm.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
French Appetisers
- Duck Croquettes2 Hours 20 Minutes
- Pâté Forestière15 Minutes
- Caviar Canapés7 Minutes
- Chicken Rillettes2 Hours 15 Minutes
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
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Kath Forder
Hello Amanda!
Thank you for reminding me of one of my favourite French salads... I have taken some chicken livers from the freezer, ready to make it tomorrow! I know that it will be delicious - though as I'm not keen on truffles, I shall be substituting the truffle oil with walnut oil.
Casey
I'm always on the lookout for delicious and satisfying salads, and this one hits all the right notes! The vibrant colors and balanced combination of ingredients are proof that salads can be both healthy and indulgent.
Chenee
Wow, this salade gourmande looks absolutely divine! The combination of fresh ingredients is a true feast for the eyes. I can almost taste the flavors bursting through the screen!
Stephanie
This salade gourmand was simple to create yet looked so elegant and inviting on the dinner table. Such a delicious recipe. Thanks for the detailed instructions as I had not prepared chicken livers before.
Sisley
It was my first time having a salade gourmande and it was really nice. I think I will add some hard boiled eggs next time.