Fennel Salad with Soft Eggs

Name: Fennel Salad with Soft Eggs and Crispy Bacon
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 2 large eggs; 4 strips bacon, roughly chopped; 2 cups mixed greens; 1 cup thinly sliced fennel, plus fronds; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 1 tsp mayonnaise; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 2 slices hearty toasted bread, to serve

This fennel salad combines crispy, crunchy raw fennel with warm soft sous vide eggs and bacon, unified by a sharp Dijon vinaigrette. The contrast of hot and cold textures makes it an elegant yet approachable dish.

🏷️Fennel 🏷️Sous vide 🏷️Eggs 🏷️Bacon 🏷️Salad 🏷️Dinner

Total

Servings

2

Difficulty

Medium

Est. Cost

$19–$31

Recipe Source

View original recipe

From Recette Magazine

Ingredients

2 large eggs
4 strips bacon, roughly chopped
2 cups mixed greens
1 cup thinly sliced fennel, plus fronds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 slices hearty toasted bread, to serve

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Instructions

1
Place eggs in a Suvie pan, cover with water, and insert into the top zone of your Suvie. Cook sous vide at 155°F for 45 minutes.
2
While the eggs cook, combine olive oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, ¼ tsp kosher salt, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper in a tight-fitting jar. Shake ingredients together to emulsify. Alternatively, whisk ingredients together in a large bowl.
3
After the cook, immediately remove eggs and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Let sit 5 minutes.
4
Transfer bacon to a clean, dry Suvie pan. Insert pan into the top of your Suvie and broil for 10 minutes or until bacon is rendered and crisp (this may take an additional 10 minutes of broiling to reach desired consistency). Alternatively, heat bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 6 minutes until rendered and crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside until ready to serve.
5
Divide fennel and mixed greens between plates and drizzle with dressing, turning to coat. Crack sous vide eggs into 2 small bowls. Lift eggs out with a slotted spoon, allowing excess egg white to drip back into the bowl, and place 1 egg on each plate. Season each egg with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle each salad with bacon and serve with toasted bread.

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Tips & Notes

Pro tips

Cook bacon until deeply crisp, then chop while still warm for maximum crunch and flavor distribution throughout the salad.
Slice fennel within 30 minutes of serving to preserve its delicate crispness; if made earlier, store in ice water and drain thoroughly before tossing.
Dress the greens separately from the fennel so the greens don't wilt; toss everything together just before plating to maintain texture contrast.
Keep soft eggs warm by holding them gently in warm water until plating; a runny yolk acts as an additional dressing when broken over the salad.

Substitutions

Mixed greens → arugula or baby spinach (peppery note intensifies sharpness of Dijon dressing)
Dijon mustard → whole grain mustard (adds texture and slightly less sharp flavor)
Fennel fronds → dill or tarragon (similar delicate herbal note, though less anise flavor)

Storage & make-ahead

This salad is best served immediately after assembly. Store leftover fennel in ice water and leftover bacon in an airtight container separately; toss together fresh with new eggs to serve again.

Equipment

immersion circulator or sous vide machine (optional; soft-boil eggs as alternative) · mandoline or sharp knife for slicing fennel

Common Questions

Can I make this salad without a sous vide machine?

Yes. Soft-boil the eggs for 6–7 minutes in simmering water until the whites set but yolks remain runny, then peel gently and serve warm.

How do I slice fennel thinly without a mandoline?

Use a sharp chef's knife to halve the fennel lengthwise, remove the core, then slice crosswise as thin as possible. A vegetable peeler also works for very thin shards.