Frisée Salad with Pears, Blue Cheese, and Crispy Prosciutto

With a delicate, frilly texture and slightly bitter flavor, frisée claims a starring role in this elegant but easy-to-make salad.

This unique winter green, also known as curly endive, contrasts beautifully with sweet Bosc pears, crunchy walnuts, and creamy crumbles of funky blue cheese. For the finishing touches on this frisée salad recipe, I dress it in a punchy Dijon vinaigrette and top the salad with shards of thyme-scented crispy prosciutto.

It only takes 10 minutes to crisp the prosciutto slices in the oven, a little trick you’ll use to add pizazz to every salad recipe in your repertoire from now on. Serve this boldly flavored salad from fall through spring as a light lunch or alongside mains like Whole Roasted Chicken or Roast Pork Loin.

Frisée Salad Ingredients

In season from winter to spring, frisée is easy to find in most well-stocked grocery stores. Here are the other ingredients you’ll need:

• Walnuts: Rich and earthy, walnuts add both flavor and crunch to the salad..
• Prosciutto: This salty, dry-cured Italian ham has a delicate, sweet flavor. Baked in the oven, the paper-thin slices become addictively crispy. Plan to make extra because it’s an easy way to add savory, salty flavor to so many dishes. Crumbled, it adds a welcome crunchy contrast to poached eggs. I also love it as a garnish for creamy potato soup, on top of sautéed green beans. 
• Fresh thyme: A sprinkle of chopped thyme leaves adds a woodsy flavor. 
• Frisée: Sometimes called “curly endive,” frisée is a mildly bitter green in the chicory family with a lacy, crunchy texture. It’s available in most markets from fall to spring. Can’t find it? You can substitute thinly sliced Belgian endive or radicchio for this salad instead. 
• Bosc pears: With their firm, crisp texture and honey-like flavor, Bosc pears are a natural match for salads. When cut, I find the flesh doesn’t turn brown as quickly as other common varieties, like Bartlett, d’Anjou or Comice.
• Gorgonzola cheese: This Italian blue cheese is perfect for crumbling and has a distinctly tangy, buttery flavor. It’s also milder and less salty than Roquefort cheese.
• Dijon Vinaigrette: Our classic vinaigrette combines Dijon mustard, chopped shallots, white wine vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil. For this salad, I prefer to use white wine vinegar over lemon juice, listed as an option in the original recipe. I also use a heavy hand with the Dijon mustard. 
• Kosher salt and Freshly ground pepper

How to Make Frisee Salad

The Crispy Prosciutto, Dijon Vinaigrette, and toasted walnuts can be made up to three days in advance. The salad greens and pears take just minutes to prepare. Just mix and serve! 

• Toast the nuts: Preheat an oven to 350°F. Spread 1/2 cup walnuts on a medium rimmed baking sheet and bake in the hot oven until they turn golden brown and smell toasty, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool completely before roughly chopping.
• Make the Crispy Prosciutto. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Line the baking sheet you used to toast the walnuts with parchment paper. Lay the prosciutto slices on the baking sheet, making sure they are flat, not bubbled. Sprinkle with thyme leaves. Bake until fat begins to turn golden and the meat is dark and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the prosciutto to paper towels to drain. 
• Make the Dijon Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, and 1 tablespoon minced shallot. Add 1/2 tablespoon water to help with the emulsion. Season with a big pinch of kosher salt and black pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each) and whisk to combine. Continue whisking as you drizzle in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil until emulsified. 
• Mix: Tear 8 ounces frisée (1 to 2 heads) into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large salad bowl or serving platter. Cut 2 medium Bosc pears into thin slices and add to the bowl. Add the toasted walnuts and 1 1/2 ounces crumbled blue cheese.
• Dress and serve: Drizzle 3 to 4 tablespoons of the Dijon Vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss until ingredients are coated. Divide the salad among plates and top with the remaining crumbled blue cheese (1 1/2 ounces) and Crispy Prosciutto, broken into large pieces. Season with a pinch of salt and more ground pepper, if you like. 

Make it Your Own

Contrast is what this salad is all about. Sweet pears balance the bitter flavor of the frisée, while nuts add a crunchy texture and blue cheese packs a powerful umami punch. As long as you keep this general formula in mind, feel free to play around with the ingredients. Here’s how:

• Vary the greens: Frisee has a mildly bitter flavor, which I love. Other bitter green options include escarole, endives, or even radicchio. To take the bitterness down a notch, replace half of it with baby spinach. Or, to add a peppery bite, substitute arugula or watercress.
• Change up the cheese: I love the funky flavor of blue cheese, and there are plenty of options besides Gorgonzola from around the world. My favorites include Danish blue, English Stilton, and French Roquefort. If blue cheese isn’t your thing, try shaved Parmesan or Gouda cheese, or top with salty crumbled feta or ricotta salata. 
• Vary the fruit: Sliced apples or persimmons would be equally delicious in this salad. 
• Switch up the nuts: I love the combination of pears and walnuts, but toasted hazelnuts or almonds are other ways to add the crunch.

What to Serve with Frisee Salad 

Garnished with shards of crispy prosciutto, this salad is elegant enough to make an impression at a dinner party or holiday spread.

It’s lovely paired with wine and thyme-infused Braised Chicken Thighs with Grapes and Fennel. For a real holiday showstopper, pair it with Beef Tenderloin, drizzled with Moroccan chermoula and jewel-like pomegranate seeds.  

For an easy, weeknight dinner, nothing beats soup and salad. Serve it alongside our creamy, yet light Fennel Soup. Or, for a heartier option, pair it with a big bowl of warming One-Pot Chicken and Kale Soup with Creamy White Beans.