Salade Nicoise – A Delicious Summer Dish
Salade Nicoise is a classic French salad from the Nice region that makes a beautiful presentation and is a delicious summer dish. It is perfect for a luncheon or dinner when it is too hot to cook.
To serve this salad, place the lettuce on a large platter and then mound the ingredients in separate piles, letting some of the lettuce show through.
To save effort at the serving time, you can boil the eggs, potatoes, and green beans ahead of time and chill. If you can make the dressing simultaneously and pour some on the potatoes while they are still warm, they will soak up the flavor and be much better.
About the Ingredients for Salade Nicoise
This salad is best when you use fresh lemons and herbs in the dressing and fresh, not frozen or canned, green beans, etc. If you use dried herbs, use about 1/3 less and let the dressing sit for a while longer.
A few notes about the other ingredients:
Lettuce – I like to use tender leaf lettuce instead of head lettuce, but either is fine.
Tuna – the salad looks better with solid tuna that has been flaked, but use what you like.
Olives – if you have Nicoise olives, you want to use those. Kalamata would be a good substitute.
Potatoes – baby red potatoes are the best choice, but any baby potato can be used.
Salade Nicoise Ingredients
- 3/4 pound baby red potatoes, quartered
- 4 ounces fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut in 2-3 inch pieces
- 1 head of leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 can (6 ounces) of solid tuna
- 1 medium tomato, cored and cut into 8-10 slices
- 1 small onion (your choice), sliced thinly
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered lengthwise
- 1/4 cup pitted Nicoise olives (or kalamata)
- 1 tablespoon capers
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- juice from 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
Salade Nicoise Directions
- Boil potato wedges in 2 quarts of water until fork tender. When cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the water and place it in a small bowl. Add green beans to boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, then drain and immediately place in ice water to stop cooking.
- While potatoes are cooking, combine vinaigrette ingredients in a 1 cup or larger jar (or whisk together in a small bowl.
- Put lettuce in a medium bowl and add a few tablespoons of vinaigrette. Arrange on the platter.
- When potatoes are cooked, add a tablespoon or two of vinaigrette while still hot. Set aside to cool while prepping the rest of the salad.
- Add tuna to the medium bowl and a tablespoon or two of vinaigrette. Place in a pile on the lettuce.
- Add tomatoes and onions to the bowl (separately or together) and add a tablespoon or two of vinaigrette. Place in a pile (or two) on the lettuce.
- Add drained green beans to the medium bowl and a tablespoon or two of vinaigrette. Place in a pile on the lettuce.
- Add boiled egg quarters, capers, and olives around the platter.
- Drizzle the salad with more vinaigrette if desired, and serve.
Always use organic fruits and vegetables in your recipes.
Do you live in one of these Southern California Cities? Aguanga, Fallbrook, Hemet, Homeland, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula, Wildomar, or Winchester. If you do, you can use the local organic fruits and vegetables in our harvest deliveries for these recipes.
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