Fried Goat Cheese Salad
Crispy breadcrumbed goat's cheese rounds, fried until golden outside and just starting to melt within, served on a bed of mixed leaves with sliced pear, fresh raspberries, red onion, and toasted walnuts. Finish it with a honey and mustard vinaigrette to bring all the flavours together!
Ingredients
For the goat's cheese rounds
- 2 goat's cheese 150 gr each
- 50 gr plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 80 gr breadcrumbs fine
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil for frying
For the salad
- 150 gr mixed lettuce leaves
- 1 pear ripe
- 150 gr raspberries
- 1 red onion thinly sliced into rings
- 80 gr walnuts
For the honey and mustard vinaigrette
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- salt and black pepper
Equipment
- 3 mixing bowl for coating the cheese
Instructions
1. Bread the goat's cheese rounds
- Set up three bowls: seasoned flour, beaten eggs, breadcrumbs. Coat each round in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. For an extra-crispy crust, pass each through the egg and breadcrumbs a second time. Place on a lined tray and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This firms the cheese so it doesn't melt through the crust in the pan.
2. Toast the walnuts
- Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking regularly, until golden and fragrant. Watch closely, they burn fast. Tip onto a plate to cool.
3. Make the vinaigrette
- Whisk the mustard, honey and vinegar together. Add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking, until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. It should be sharp, slightly sweet and well seasoned.
4. Prepare the salad
- Arrange the leaves on four plates. Scatter over the pear slices, raspberries, onion rings and walnuts. Don't dress it yet, do that at the last moment.
5. Fry the goat's cheese rounds
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Fry the chilled rounds in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden and crisp. Don't move them, let them colour before turning. Drain briefly on kitchen paper.
6. Dress and serve
- Spoon the vinaigrette over each salad. Top each with 3 hot goat's cheese rounds and serve immediately. The hot-crisp-against-cool-fresh contrast is what makes this salad so delicious, so don't let it sit.
Notes
- The chilling step is non-negotiable. If the cheese goes into the pan at room temperature, it melts faster than the crust can form and you end up with a puddle. One hour minimum, two hours is better.
- Firm goat's cheese works best here. Avoid anything too fresh or too soft, it won't hold its shape during frying. A good Crottin de Chavignol or a supermarket chèvre log that has been in the fridge is ideal.
- The second coat of egg and breadcrumbs gives you a noticeably thicker, crunchier crust. Worth the extra 30 seconds.
- Raspberries are not the most traditional element in a French chèvre salad, but they work well, their sharpness cuts through the richness of the cheese beautifully and they look stunning.
- This salad works as a starter in smaller portions or as a light main course with good bread alongside.