Parisian Salad (French Ham and Cheese Salad)

What is a Parisian Salad?

A salade parisienne is a simple French brasserie salad made with crisp batavia lettuce, cooked ham, Emmental, hard-boiled eggs and a sharp vinaigrette. Champignons de Paris often join them, although the exact combination varies from one café to another.

François-Régis Gaudry's wonderful simple version, borrowed from the Paris bistro Chez Marcel, focuses on Jambon de Paris and mushrooms with a mustard dressing. Meanwhile, Café de Flore's Salade Flore adds a tomato - oh-là-là.

My version keeps the familiar ham, Emmental, eggs and mushrooms but leaves out tomato, sweetcorn and olives. Good ham, cheese and mustard vinaigrette need little else - although that has never stopped me adding a few crunchies.

In France, this falls into the broad family of salades composées: substantial salads made from several ingredients. They may look beautifully arranged, but no law says they must stay that way. Mine gets tossed thoroughly - into oblivion might be nearer the truth - because every leaf deserves its share of vinaigrette.

Is Parisian Salad the Same as French Potato Salad?

Both names do their best to confuse us. Escoffier's salade de pommes de terre à la Parisienne is a French potato salad made with sliced potatoes dressed while warm with white wine, vinaigrette and herbs.

To muddy matters further, Escoffier also listed an entirely separate Salade à la Parisienne involving lobster, truffle, mayonnaise and aspic rather than this modern classic café salad of ham, cheese and eggs you'll find all over France.

Nor is this the American mayonnaise-based ham salad used as a sandwich filling. Here, the ham stays in generous pieces and the mustard vinaigrette replaces mayonnaise.

Parisian Salad Ingredients: Ham, Cheese, Eggs & Lettuce

With such a simple salad, none of the ingredients has anywhere to hide.

• Batavia lettuce: Its crisp stems and frilly leaves hold up particularly well to the vinaigrette. American readers may find it labelled Summer Crisp or French Crisp lettuce; curly lettuce in the UK.
• Good cooked ham: Ask a butcher or deli counter for one thick slice of good, unsmoked cooked ham rather than buying ready-cut cubes, often over-processed. In France, look for Jambon de Paris. I talk more about Prince de Paris and choosing proper ham in my Croque Monsieur recipe. A good ham changes everything here.
• Emmental: Buy it in a block and cut it into proper cubes. Gruyère or Comté will also work, although French Emmental (Swiss is stronger) gives the salad its familiar brasserie flavour.
• Hard-boiled eggs: Cook the eggs until the yolks have just set, without giving them the full grey-ring treatment. You'll find more egg-cooking details in my classic Niçoise salad.
• Champignons de Paris: French brasseries often serve the mushrooms in thin raw slices. Ever since I heard French food chemist Raphaël Haumont discuss why he prefers mushrooms cooked, I have quickly dry-fried mine in a hot pan without oil. Cultivated mushrooms contain naturally occurring agaritine, and research shows that cooking reduces it. If you prefer the usual raw version, simply use very fresh mushrooms and slice them just before serving.
• Mustard vinaigrette: I use colza - or canola/rapeseed oil - rather than sunflower oil and keep the bottle in the fridge. Shake the dressing in a jam jar and make plenty; any remainder will keep for a few days and rescue another salad later in the week.

Add a Little Extra Salad Crunch

Classic Parisian salad needs little else, but I do like to add crunch to a ham salad.

I add toasted pumpkin seeds, finely chopped parsley and chives, then finish with a handful of microgreens for more flavour and texture. Think of it as a slightly posher cousin of the Café de Flore salad.

You could also go slightly rogue with pickled radishes or homemade air-fryer croûtons. Add either just before serving so they keep their crunch.

Make It Ahead or Take It on a Picnic

Prepare the eggs, mushrooms, ham, cheese and vinaigrette in advance, but keep everything refrigerated separately. Wash and dry the lettuce thoroughly, then toss the salad shortly before serving.

For a picnic, carry the vinaigrette in its jam jar and keep the ham, cheese and eggs chilled until lunchtime. Leftover cooked ham also works particularly well after Christmas or Easter. An unsmoked, unglazed ham comes closest to Jambon de Paris, although a little festive glazing will make this extra special.

For a lighter side dish without the ham, cheese and eggs, try my simple green salad you can adapt to each season.