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French · Alsace

Salade de Cervelas

Salade de cervelas is the quintessential Alsatian bistro salad: thick slices of cervelas sausage (a mild, emulsified pork sausage similar to a French Strasbourg or German Fleischwurst) dressed in a sharp vinaigrette with onions, cornichons, and fresh herbs. This salad appears on virtually every winstub menu and brasserie card in Alsace, served as a starter or light lunch alongside bread and a glass of Edelzwicker. The cervelas (500g for 4 portions) is peeled of its casing and sliced into rounds 5mm thick, or julienned into matchstick-sized batons for a more modern presentation. The vinaigrette is deliberately assertive: 3 tablespoons of sunflower or grapeseed oil (not olive oil, which would fight the sausage’s delicate flavour), 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper, whisked until emulsified. The onion component is essential: a medium onion sliced into paper-thin rings and separated, or 4-5 finely sliced shallots. Cornichons (6-8, sliced into coins) provide essential acid crunch. The sausage, onions, and cornichons are combined with the vinaigrette and tossed gently, then left to marinate at room temperature for 20-30 minutes (the sausage absorbs the vinaigrette, becoming more flavourful with each passing minute). A generous shower of chopped flat-leaf parsley and chives finishes the salad. Some versions add diced Emmentaler cheese (creating the salade alsacienne composée), hard-boiled egg quarters, or walnuts. The salad is served at cool room temperature — never refrigerator-cold, which mutes the vinaigrette’s brightness. The cervelas should be of the highest quality: a proper Strasbourg sausage made from lean pork and back fat, lightly smoked, with a fine, smooth texture and a clean porky flavour.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
ServesFour portions
Total40 minutes (including 20–30 minutes marinating)
Sourced1of 10 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

500 g
cervelas sausage
Strasbourg-style, lean pork and back fat, lightly smoked, fine emulsified texture; casing removed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 medium
onion
sliced into paper-thin rings and separated, or 4–5 shallots finely sliced
Your own market
6–8
cornichons
sliced into coins
Origin · FranceLekker · Vancouver →
For the vinaigrette
3 tbsp
sunflower or grapeseed oil
not olive oil
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tbsp
white wine vinegar
Your own market
1 tsp
Dijon mustard
Your own market
1 pinch
fine salt
Your own market
1 pinch
black pepper
freshly ground
Your own market
To finish
1 small bunch
flat-leaf parsley
coarsely chopped
Your own market
1 small bunch
chives
finely snipped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Peel the casing from the cervelas. Cut the sausage into rounds 5 mm thick, or julienne into matchstick-sized batons for a more modern presentation. If warming the slices — which opens the surface to the vinaigrette — set a dry pan over moderate heat and warm them for 1 minute per side. The sausage should be supple and fragrant but not coloured.
From the canon — A vinaigrette is oil and acid — two liquids that do not naturally combine — temporarily dispersed into an emulsion by mechanical force. Vinaigrette (and the Emulsified Dressing Family) →
2
Combine the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the sunflower or grapeseed oil in a thin stream until the vinaigrette emulsifies into a uniform, opaque dressing. The surface should show no pooling oil.
3
This is where the salad lives or dies: the vinaigrette must be assertive, not timid. Taste it before combining — it should read sharp and mustardy on the tongue, edged with acid, with the oil a background note only. Adjust vinegar if the balance tips towards blandness.
4
Place the cervelas, paper-thin onion rings, and cornichon coins in a wide bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over and toss gently to coat every surface without breaking the sausage rounds. Set aside at room temperature for 20–30 minutes. The sausage is ready when its cut faces have dulled slightly, having absorbed the dressing.
5
Shower the salad with a generous quantity of chopped flat-leaf parsley and snipped chives. Toss once more lightly. Serve at cool room temperature — the vinaigrette should smell bright and vinous, not flat, which refrigerator cold would produce.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — A proper Strasbourg cervelas from a reputable Alsatian charcutier: lean pork and back fat, lightly smoked, fine and smooth in texture, with a clean porky flavour and no fillers.
02
Estate — A branded Strasbourg sausage of declared pork content, lightly smoked, in natural casing — reliably emulsified, with delicate flavour the vinaigrette will complement rather than mask.
03
Market — A French Fleischwurst or German Lyoner of comparable fineness; the texture must be smooth, not coarse or grainy.
04
House — Any mild, fully cooked emulsified pork sausage with a smooth cut face — on no account a coarse, grainy, or heavily spiced sausage, nor a hot-dog-style product.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Sight. The emulsified vinaigrette shows a uniform, opaque surface with no pooling oil separating out.
◇Sight. After marinating, the cut faces of the cervelas have dulled and slightly darkened, showing absorption of the dressing.
◇Smell. At the table the salad smells bright, vinous, and herbaceous — not muted or cold-flat.
◇Touch. The sausage rounds yield to gentle pressure without crumbling, retaining their 5 mm integrity after tossing.
◇Where it lives or dies. The vinaigrette must be deliberately sharp and mustardy before it meets the sausage; a timid dressing cannot be corrected once the salad is assembled.
Pillar V
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Mugnier Musigny Grand Cru
Domaine J.-F. Mugnier · Chambolle-Musigny
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
From British Columbia
Fort Berens Riesling
Fort Berens Estate Winery · Lillooet
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Lekker
Vancouver · cornichons
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