History
Mâche is small, dark, nutty and faintly sweet, and Loire-Atlantique grows more of it than anywhere else in France. That leadership came from a technique rather than luck: Nantes market gardeners worked out a sous-abris system in which the soil is covered with roughly a centimetre of sand, which warms faster and helps the seed germinate evenly. The protected zone for Mâche Nantaise IGP covers more than 200 communes across Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire and the Vendée. The season opens in autumn and runs through winter, and the classic Nantes plate pairs the leaf with walnuts and apple.
Common allergens: Nuts, Mustard, Sulphites
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 300g mâche (lamb's lettuce), washed and spun very dry
- 80g walnut halves
- 1 crisp apple, cored and cut into matchsticks
- 100g smoked lardons (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons walnut oil
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over a medium heat for 4 minutes until they smell nutty, then tip out and chop roughly.
- If you are using lardons, fry them in the same pan until crisp and drain on paper.
- Whisk the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper together, then whisk in both oils in a thin stream until the dressing thickens.
- Toss the mâche with the apple in a wide bowl. Add just enough dressing to coat, using your hands so you do not bruise the leaves.
- Scatter the walnuts and the lardons over the top and serve at once, while the leaf still has its texture.
Tip from the editors. Mâche collapses under dressing faster than any other leaf, so dress it at the table. Wash it in several changes of cold water: it grows on sand.
Where to eat salade de mâche nantaise
Salade de mâche nantaise in Nantes
Featured by TableJourney as a signature dish of Nantes. See where to eat Salade de mâche nantaise in Nantes or the Nantes signature dishes guide.
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