I couldn’t fit all the delicious things in this salad in the title. Roasted fennel bulb, seared tomatoes, crispy prosciutto, baguette croutons and fresh arugula. Oh and poached eggs! Hungry yet? Though you are roasting and searing a few things for this salad, it actually comes together fairly quickly once you get going.
I wrote the recipe to feed two people, it’s easily multiplied or reduced. I’d say one fennel bulb per two people. When I made this for myself I had another portion left over. I didn’t use a dressing because my poached eggs were nice and runny. If you like dry hard eggs, you will need a dressing. Something lemon or balsamic would be great!
Roasted fennel is so different than fennel seed, it’s mild and sweet. Combined with toasted croutons rubbed with garlic (totally optional, I understand garlic at breakfast is not for everyone) and seared sweet tomatoes= yum yum. I sprinkled mine with some crispy prosciutto, but this could easily be a vegetarian dish and be just as good.
We won't use the stalks or fronds of the fennel for this dish. If you need to use the whole vegetable, I do, check out this article by The Kitchn:“Top 5 Ways to Use Fennel Stalks & Fronds”.
| ROASTED BREAKFAST SALAD | ||
| 1 fennel bulb, sliced thin | ||
| 4 eggs poached (see how to here) | ||
| 4 plum tomatoes | ||
| 8 baguette slices | ||
| 2-3 handfuls fresh arugula | ||
| 2 tbsp olive oil | ||
| Salt | ||
| Fresh ground pepper | ||
| 1 clove garlic (optional) | ||
| 2 slices prosciutto (optional) | ||
| 1. Preheat oven to 400°F and heat a heavy bottomed skillet on medium. | ||
| 2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. | ||
| 3. Remove stalks from fennel bulb and slice thin. Arrange slices in a single layer on your baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 15 minutes. | ||
| 4. While fennel is roasting, brush toasts with olive oil and toast in the skillet. Flip to brown both sides. Rub the cut side of a garlic clove on the toasted bread if you wish. Set aside on a paper towel. | ||
| 5. Cut tomatoes in half; add to skillet cut side down. Don’t move them too much, allow to sear. Remove to paper towel once seared | ||
| 6. If using, lay the prosciutto in the hot skillet to cook. This won’t take long. Maybe 1 minute per side. Remove to paper towel and crumble when cool. | ||
| 7. To plate, start with arugula, arrange tomatoes and croutons around the outside. Add fennel to the center. Top with poached eggs. Sprinkle with prosciutto, salt and pepper to taste. | ||
Stalks and bottom removed.
I used my mandolin to shave the fennel thin. Always use extreme care when using this tool (wah). Or use a knife to shave thin slices. The thinness of the slice is what helps it to cook so quickly.
Drizzle slices with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
While that is roasting prep your other ingredients. I cut a semi-thin slice and brushed them with oil.
Toast them to the darkness you prefer, keeping in mind a darker toast will also be much crunchier!
And I lost track of mine haha, but I do like very toasty-toast.
Set aside to cool on a towel.
Moving on to the tomatoes, I used a campari tomato cut around the equator.
Lay them cut side down in the skillet. They may sizzle and skitter around a bit because of their high water content. Check after 30 seconds, remove from heat when slightly blackened.
This prosciutto is from Costco, it’s a crazy good deal and tastes great.
Lay your slices flat in the pan. They will sizzle and shrink rapidly. Flip to crisp both sides.
Once cool, crumble.
Plate your arugula, I used one large handful.
Arrange your toasts and seared tomatoes around the perimeter, lay the roasted fennel in the middle.
Poach your eggs (this is the technique I use), and lay them over the fennel. Salt and pepper to your taste and top with crumbled procuitto.
The egg yolks make a great dressing. Enjoy!
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