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Nicoise Salad

14 Jul

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Nicoise Salad

Serves 4-6  | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes

Nicoise is a classic salad from Nice, France. Wonderful for a well balanced meal during the heat of the summer.

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • 4 cups mixed salad greens (or arugula)
  • 6 ounces green beans (haricot verts)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups baby red or white potatoes
  • 1 (5-ounce) can tuna, drained
  • 1 cup pitted olives
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • ½ English Cucumber, thinly sliced
  • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced

LEMON VINAIGRETTE

  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon honey
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Chef Tips

Preparation

Step 1 (for the vinaigrette)

Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

Step 2 (Boil the eggs)

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Then, turn off the heat (so there’s no bubbles) and gently add the eggs. Turn the heat back up to boil and cook the eggs for 6½ to 7 minutes for a slightly jammy yolk. If you prefer hard-boiled eggs, cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove the eggs to an ice water bath for a few minutes. Then crack, peel, and halve each one.

Step 3

While the eggs are boiling, bring a separate medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the potatoes (leaving the hot water in the pot), transfer them to a cutting board, and let them cool. Then slice in half.

Step 4

Add the green beans to the pot and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until they turn bright green. Then chill in an ice water bath and drain the beans in a colander.

Step 5

Spread the salad greens out onto a large platter. Arrange the potatoes, green beans, tuna, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and soft-boiled eggs on top. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle the lemon vinaigrette over the salad. I use about half the vinaigrette and save the remainder in the fridge for future use.