SALADS

Easy Niçoise Salad

Easy Niçoise Salad
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Easy Niçoise Salad

Recipe by thesal28_wpCourse: Salads
Servings

4

servings

A Niçoise salad, or “Salade Niçoise,” is a vibrant and flavorful dish that hails from the sunny city of Nice in the South of France. This easy version of the classic French salad is a celebration of fresh ingredients, combining crisp vegetables, briny olives, high quality jarred tuna, and hard-boiled eggs, all dressed in a light and tangy vinaigrette. It’s a perfect dish for a light lunch, a picnic, or a summer dinner, offering a delightful blend of textures and tastes.

A Niçoise Salad is typically served as a main course, accompanied by a crusty baguette and a glass of chilled rosé or white wine. I love it as a hearty, protein packed lunch, but it’s also a fantastic dish to bring to picnics or outdoor gatherings, as it can be enjoyed at room temperature.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp honey

  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard

  • 4 tbsp Champagne vinegar (you could sub red wine vinegar)

  • 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 3 Romaine lettuce hearts, chopped

  • 1 pint grape tomatoes

  • 1 cup pitted niçoise olives (I often use kalamata when I cannot find these)

  • 8 oz. green beans, trimmed

  • 1 lb. baby potatoes

  • 6 eggs

  • (2) 6.7 oz. jars of Tonnino Tuna in Olive Oil (or the equivalent, but Tonnino is my favorite, and the easiest to find in the US)

  • Kosher salt

  • Black pepper

Directions

  • Prepare the dressing by whisking together the honey, Dijon mustard and Champagne vinegar. Slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper and set aside.
  • In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to a boil. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl halfway with ice, then add enough water so the bowl is two-thirds of the way full. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook them for 45 to 60 seconds. Using a spider strainer or something similar (a regular strainer will work, just not as well), remove the green beans and plunge them into the ice bath. Drain the green beans, pat them dry gently with a clean towel and transfer them to a cutting board. Bring the water back to a boil and carefully add the potatoes and another 1 to 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Cook the potatoes until they can be pierced easily with a fork, about 10 minutes, then drain and rinse them under cold water.
    While the potatoes cook, hard-boil the eggs: In a medium-sized saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Carefully add a steamer basket, set the eggs in the basket and cover the pan with a lid. Lower the heat to medium-low and steam the eggs for 13 minutes. While the eggs cook, prepare a fresh ice bath by filling a medium-sized bowl halfway with ice, then enough water to fill the bowl two-thirds of the way. When the eggs have finished cooking, transfer them to the ice bath.
  • Once the eggs are cool, peel them, then slice and set aside. Cut the green beans into bite sized pieces. Slice the potatoes into coins. Halve the eggs. Divide the chopped romaine between four plates. Distribute among the four plates the olives, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, and hard boiled egg. Divide the tuna between the plates. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

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