Lentil Salad in a Jar

Lentil salad in a jar with carrot, mustard and poppy seeds

The Rue Traversette lentil salad is a ready-to-eat salad in a jar made from lentils, carrots, and onions, dressed with vinegar, mustard, and a hint of poppy seeds. Hearty and French in its simplicity, it was created with Pierre Augé, the winner of Top Chef 2014.

Lentil salad in a jar from Rue Traversette is a pre-dressed, French-style salad. Lentils form the base, carrots provide sweetness, and onions add a savory edge. Vinegar and mustard make up the dressing, salt and pepper season it, and a touch of poppy seed adds a finishing note that you only notice on the second spoonful.

Earthy, sweet, with a savory edge

The lentil salad comes out of the jar dark brown and with a distinct texture, featuring orange carrot cubes as splashes of color and black poppy seed dots throughout.

The lentil tastes earthy and rounded; it is cooked until soft yet retains its shape. The carrot provides a sweet contrast, the onion a fine sharpness. Earthy, sweet, and savory—that’s how the salad carries itself, and the mustard in the dressing lifts it just enough so that it never feels heavy.

The vinegar is well-measured—strong enough for the lentils and mild enough for the carrot to shine through. A salad without any gimmicks, simply doing what a French lentil salad should do.

You will overlook the poppy seeds on your first spoonful; on the second, you will notice something quietly crunching and leaving a nutty aftertaste. Such small deviations are the hallmark of this producer, and you only notice them when you compare this salad to an ordinary one.

As a side dish and on buttered bread

Among our antipasti and pickled specialties, the lentil salad is the most down-to-earth, and the one that is most likely to fill you up.

The lentil salad in a jar is a classic accompaniment to fried fish, especially salmon, as well as poultry and sausages. It works as a side dish alongside potatoes, and if you are eating it on its own, it’s best to top it with a soft-boiled egg.

It tastes especially good on a thick slice of bread with salted butter—a French snack in two steps. With a few drops of olive oil and some fresh parsley on top, the contents of the jar become a plate.

A recipe with Pierre Augé

This salad was created together with the Southern French chef Pierre Augé, who hails from Béziers and runs the family restaurant La Maison de Petit Pierre there.

In 2010, he reached the final of the first season of Top Chef, and in 2014 he returned to win the competition. Subsequently, he won the "Choc des champions" three times in a row. His cuisine is Mediterranean-inspired and rarely taken too seriously, an attitude that fits well with Rue Traversette.

Cooking and jarring take place in Saint-André-de-Sangonis in the Hérault region, where Stéphane Strobl has been operating his cannery since 2015. Around ten people work there, cutting by hand and pasteurizing gently, without preservatives, colorings, or artificial flavors. It all started in 2005 on the Rue de la Traversette in the neighboring village, which gave the brand its name.

Cold, the lentil salad lacks its roundness

The lentil salad tastes significantly rounder at room temperature than straight from the cold, so take it out in good time. Once opened, the jar should be refrigerated and finished within a few days. If you prefer something fruitier, try the chickpea salad in a jar with bell peppers and raspberry vinegar.