Nicoise Salad – a very satisfying salad with a combination of tuna, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, veggies and a wonderful balsamic red wine dressing. Highly-indulgent; not your average boring kind of salad!
Happy midweek everyone and welcome to our 2nd day of our French-themed home cooking week! If you missed our first recipe for this week, go ahead and check out this loaded one-pot dish Easy Cassoulet.
Since we went big and heavy for our Monday edition of delectable French recipes, today we’re going with this light YET highly-indulgent meal without the guilt. Presenting one of my favorite salad – Nicoise Salad.
After having over indulged with this rum-infused molten lava cake, (my favorite chocolate cake), I needed to redeem myself with a salad: one that is hearty and satisfying but still light. Most of the time when I eat a salad I am hungry after an hour or two; rummaging through my entire fridge looking for a snack or a drink.
Nicoise salad is the very meal to satisfy my craving; a filling and complete meal on just a plate. The combination of lean protein, potatoes and vegetables is all you wish for in a salad. A little bit of this, a little bit of that.
What is Salad Nicoise?
Almost every cook has their own variation of making this salad and each would attest to the fact that theirs is the best. You know what is the best? Eating this salad and not having to worry about my waistline.
But what is salad nicoise?
Salad Nicoise is a French salad that originated in the city of Nice. Traditionally, this salad is made of tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Nicoise olives and anchovies tossed with olive oil. Other variation of this salad includes canned or cooked tuna, raw red peppers, artichoke hearts, shallots, green beans, potatoes and other seasonal raw vegetables.
Nicoise Salad Ingredients
While you can certainly add whatever ingredients you have on hand, there are certain ingredients that I feel are a MUST for a Nicoise Salad. That would include the following below:
- Nicoise olives (for sure)
- hard-boiled eggs
- green beans
- potatoes
- tomatoes
- tuna (fresh or canned)
You can pretty much leave out the rest or add whatever you like into this salad. Got some roasted beets? Add them up here! Leftover cucumber? Sure thing! Scallions? Red peppers? Shallots? Basil? Go for it. No one will stop you. Heck, I won’t even mind adding some bacon bits into this salad. 😉
Nicoise Salad Dressing
As much as I enjoy eating all those tuna and veggies in this salad, the truth is, the SAUCE is what makes this salad so tasteful! Olive oil, red wine and balsamic vinegar plus a touch of Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper, mashed anchovy fillet, sugar and fresh parsley – I mean … just imagine all those flavors coming together for this dressing. Truly lip-smacking good!
Can I Make Nicoise Salad Ahead of Time?
The beauty of this salad is that you can make ahead some of it’s components and not worry about boiling and chopping the ingredients on the same day. So once you’ve boiled the eggs, green beans, and potatoes, you may refrigerate them separately for up to 3 days.
Next, mix all the salad dressing ingredients and store it in a jar with lid. Just remember to shake it up vigorously to recombine when ready to use. Then on the day of serving, slice the eggs and potatoes and the other veggies; toss them all together with the vinaigrette and plate it to your preference.
Other Salad Recipes You’d Love
More Classic French Recipes
Love French-style of cooking? Stay tune for the next few days of our French-themed Recipes mini-series or check out any of these French recipes below:
How To Make Nicoise Salad
Nicoise Salad Dressing
Combine garlic, red wine, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, anchovy fillet , sugar, salt and pepper in a blender or screw-top jar and shake or process until well blended.
You may do so in a bowl , stir until all the ingredients have been fully combined. Serve dressing with salad and garnish with fresh parsley.
How To Cook Tuna
If using fresh tuna, heat up skillet over medium-high heat. Season tuna with salt and pepper. Use some of the salad dressing on tuna, if desired. Rub with with olive oil.
Place tuna in the skillet and sear for about 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare or cook until tuna is cooked through, like in the picture. This all depends on your preference – whatever rocks your boat. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board, let it cool slightly and slice.
Preparing the Vegetables
In a saucepan with water, boil scrubbed-potatoes over high heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl of cold water, then drain. Cut into slices – 1/- inch thick. Set aside. Place eggs in a saucepan with cold water. Bring to a boil on medium-heat, and then let it simmer for about 17 minutes. Drain, place in a bowl of cold water and let it cool. Remove, peel and cut in quarters. Blanch green beans by placing them in hot water for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove, then place in ice cold water for about 5 minutes. Then drain and set aside. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and set aside.
If using canned tuna, drain tuna from a can and place in a little bowl. Repeat this process for the olives. Arrange mixed greens, French beans, olives, hard-boiled eggs, potato-quarters, tomatoes and tuna on the salad plate. Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.
This post was first published on March 2013 and has been updated with new photos, write up and recipe.
Nicoise Salad
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Ingredients
- ½ lb mixed potatoes
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup baby French green beans
- 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup cooked fresh tuna or good quality canned tuna (I used about 5 ounce fresh tuna)
- 1/2 cup pitted Nicoise olives
- 3 cups mixed greens
Dressing
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 mashed anchovy fillet
- 1 -2 teaspoons sugar
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley , sub with tarragon or chives leaves
Instructions
How To Cook Tuna
- If using fresh tuna, heat up skillet over medium-high heat. Season tuna with salt and pepper. Use some of the salad dressing on tuna, if desired. Rub with olive oil.Place tuna in the skillet and sear for about 3 minutes on each side; for medium-rare or cook until tuna is cooked through, like in the picture. This all depends on your preference - whatever rocks your boat. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board, let it cool slightly and slice.
Preparing the Vegetables
- In a saucepan with water, boil scrubbed-potatoes over high heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl of cold water, then drain again. Cut into slices - ¼ inch thick. Set aside.
- Place eggs in a saucepan with cold water. Bring to a boil on medium-heat, and then let it simmer for about 17 minutes. Drain, place in a bowl of cold water and let it cool. Remove, peel and cut in quarters.
- Blanch green beans by placing them in hot water for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove, then place in ice cold water for about 5 minutes. Then drain and set aside.
- Slice cherry tomatoes in half and set aside.
- If using canned tuna, drain tuna from a can and place in a little bowl. Repeat this process for the olives.
- Arrange mixed greens, French beans, olives, hard-boiled eggs, potato-quarters, tomatoes, and tuna on the salad plate. Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.
Dressing
- Combine garlic, red wine, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, anchovy fillet, sugar salt and pepper in a blender or screw-top jar and shake or process until well blended. You may do so in a bowl, stir until all the ingredients have been fully combined. Serve dressing with salad and garnish with fresh parsley.
Tips & Notes:
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Cathy Tarr says
When I was 15 I would have loved this salad. Instead I ordered this at a restaurant and got it with whole anchovies looking up at me. At 15 in Atlanta I completely lost my appetite(HaHaHa) This looks wonderful. My whole family would eat this!
Imma says
Thank you so much, I am sure you would love this recipe once you try it. Keep loving:)
Kare says
Looks delish! Like my tuna cooked thru. Will fix this soon.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! My family does too. Do let me know how it works out for you.