Spring in its most untamed form – a salad with character
Anyone looking to combine wine and food in its most down-to-earth form will end up here. A wild herb salad is not a salad in the sense of a supermarket lettuce – it is a botanical foray through spring: wild garlic, goutweed, dandelion, sorrel, nettle (blanched), cress, yarrow, chickweed. Each herb brings its own bitterness, its own pungency, its own aroma. The poached egg is a creamy, velvety counterpart to this green character, and the crispy bacon cubes add salt, fat and roastiness. It is a dish that requires no effort and yet combines more complexity on one plate than many a festive menu. The Silvaner from Franconia – down-to-earth, mineral, still – is the only right accompaniment for a salad that is just as down-to-earth and still.
Ideal wine accompaniment: Silvaner Kabinett dry QbA (Franconia, Germany)
From the shell limestone soils of Franconia, where the Silvaner has been at home since the 17th century and where the Bocksbeutel has its characteristic shape, comes a white wine of quiet originality. Almost neutral fruit – a hint of green apple, pear, gooseberry – and an earthy, herbal minerality that is hardly noticeable in such a direct way in any other German wine. This earthiness is its greatest gift to the wild herb salad: soil carries soil. The minerality of the shell limestone corresponds with the bitterness of the dandelion and sorrel on a level that cannot be explained, but can be felt. Its fresh acidity enlivens the poached egg, its moderate body carries the bacon cubes without being overpowered by their saltiness. A wine that gets out of the way to let the dish speak for itself – and this is precisely where its strength lies.
Further wine recommendations for this dish
Grüner Veltliner Federspiel DAC (Wachau, Austria)
The peppery tone and green herbal spiciness of the Federspiel are predestined for a wild herb salad – herbs in the wine meet herbs on the plate. Its fresh acidity enlivens the dish, its lightness respects the simplicity of the salad. A harmonious accompaniment for anyone who prefers Austria to Franconia for a wild herb evening.
Pinot Blanc Kabinett dry QbA (Württemberg, Germany)
Slender, fresh, with citrus blossom and subtle pear – the Württemberger Pinot Blanc is the most accessible companion in this round. It doesn’t make any statements, it doesn’t interfere, it leaves the wild herb salad completely in the foreground. For all those who simply want a good, uncomplicated German white wine in their glass with their herb, egg and bacon salad.
Riesling Kabinett dry QbA (Mosel, Germany)
The citrus acidity and slate minerality of the Mosel Riesling meet the bitterness of the wild herb salad in an exciting, clarifying way. It is lighter than the Silvaner, less earthy, cooler – a contrast that enlivens the dish. For all those who prefer excitement to harmony in a glass of herb salad.
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine AOC sur lie (Loire, France)
The modesty and honesty of this Muscadet matches the modesty and honesty of the wild herb salad. Its salty freshness and light sur lie creaminess complement the poached egg, and its neutral fruit lets the salad take the lead. For all those who prefer a quiet rather than an expressive wine for a simple spring meal.
Müller-Thurgau Kabinett dry QbA (Franconia, Germany)
A second Franconian in this round – but with more floral and nutmeg tones than the Silvaner. Elderberry, nutmeg and a subtle herbal spiciness communicate directly with the wild herbs. Uncomplicated, accessible, honest. For all those who prefer a little more flavor in their glass for a herb salad evening without sacrificing down-to-earthness.
You can find more down-to-earth spring recipes with matching wines on the spring and wine overview page.
The recipe:
Wild herb salad with poached egg and diced bacon
Cooking utensils
- 1 Small pot for poaching
- 1 Frying pan (for the bacon)
- 1 Small bowl for the dressing
- 1 Salad bowl
- 1 Skimmer
- 1 Scissors or knife (for the herbs)
Ingredients
- 150 g Mixed wild herbs Wild garlic, dandelion, sorrel, goutweed, cress, chickweed – subject to availability
- 2 Nettle tips blanched, optional
- 2 fresh eggs Size M, very fresh for poaching
- 100 g Bacon cubes smoked
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar for poaching
FOR THE DRESSING:
- 3 Tbsp walnut oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- Salt black pepper
Preparation
PREPARATION:
- Carefully sort the wild herbs, wash and spin dry.
- If using, blanch the nettle tips in boiling water for 30 seconds, then rinse.
- Shake all the dressing ingredients vigorously in a screw-top jar, season to taste.
COOKING STEPS:
- Fry the bacon cubes in a pan without fat over a medium heat until crispy, set aside.
- Heat the water in a small pan to just below boiling point (approx. 85 °C).
- Add the white wine vinegar and create a swirl with a spoon.
- Crack the egg and keep ready in a cup.
- Slide the egg into the strudel and poach for 3 minutes until the egg white has set and the yolk is still soft.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on kitchen paper.
DIRECTIONS:
- Mix the wild herbs loosely with the dressing in a bowl.
- Arrange the salad on flat plates – not too compact, loose and wild.
- Place the poached egg in the middle of the salad.
- Spread the diced bacon over the salad and egg.
- Finish with fleur de sel and black pepper.
SUPPLEMENTS:
- Crispy country bread with butter
- Half a lemon to squeeze at the table
- Fresh radish slices as garnish
