FOR THE SALAD:
2 8-ounce freshly-grilled tuna steaks (see comments below)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 1/4 pounds small young red potatoes (or fingerling) potatoes
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2 medium heads Boston or butter lettuce (torn into serving pieces)
3 small ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup Niçoise olives
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
Several anchovies, to taste (optional)
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
1/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (or red wine vinegar)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 small fresh garlic clove, finely minced
2 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon finely-chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons finely-chopped fresh oregano (or tarragon)
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
IN ADVANCE: Marinate tuna steaks for 1 hour in a small amount of olive oil. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat (or place fish on a preheated hot grill). Cook steaks 2-3 minutes on each side — until just cooked through. Remove tuna to a platter; set aside.
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE: Place all the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid (or process in a small electric blender, if preferred). Shake the jar until the dressing is emulsified. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and set aside.
FOR THE SALAD: Place onion slices in a small bowl; sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the prepared vinaigrette over the top and set aside. Cook potatoes in salted, boiling water just until fork-tender. Drain potatoes well and, while they are still warm, cut into halves or quarters (depending on size). Toss potatoes gently with about 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette; set aside. Cook beans 3-5 minutes in boiling, salted water — just until al dente. Drain beans and rinse them with very cold running water to stop the cooking (or place them shock in a bowl of ice water for 30 seconds).
TO SERVE: Make a bed of the torn lettuce leaves on a large serving platter. Cut tuna into 1/2-inch slices; mound the slices on the lettuce in the middle of the platter. Sprinkle tomatoes and onions around the tuna. Arrange potatoes on the lettuce leaves in small mounds at the outside edges of the platter. Make small piles of green beans on the lettuce at the edges of the platter. Place hard-boiled eggs, olives, and anchovies in separate mounds on the lettuce. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over everything on the platter, and sprinkle the salad with capers. Serve immediately — either slightly warm or at room temperature. — Serves 6
This French composed salad is a delicious combination of tuna, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, onion, capers, potatoes and herbs. It’s name, Salade Niçoise, is in reference to Nice — a fascinating seaport city and Mediterranean tourist center, and the capital city of the Alpes-Maritimes département in the French Riviera’s Côte-d’Azur région of southeastern France — just 20 miles from the Italian border.
About the olives: Nicoise olives are tiny French olives with colors ranging from purple-brown to brown-black; their meat is soft and has a somewhat tart-to-nutty flavor. This smaller olive variety with very little flesh is brine-cured, often with herbs and stems still attached. Packed in the Provence area of France, these nutty and mellow-flavored olives are imported with the pit. Should Niçoise olives not be available, one of these other types may be substituted — Kalamata, Castelvetrano, Cerignola, Gaeta or Picholine. Each olive type is different, and any of them works well in this salad.
And what about the tuna? If fresh tuna is not available, use 2 or 3 cans of albacore tuna packed in oil. Better yet, use Spanish oil-packed bonito tuna! It is very moist and tender, almost silky, and has much better flavor and texture than the average can of tuna — sorry, Charlie! ☹️
This very refreshing salad is a bit out of the ordinary. It will become a big favorite in your salad repertoire! NOTE: If you plan to serve wine with your Salade Niçoise, the very tasty French salad pairs best with Rosé, sparkling wine, and light reds which are low in tannin — such as Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Other wine choices might include a refreshing white wine — such as Gavi, Arneis, Albariño or Chenin Blanc.