Summer Salad Nicoise
The core ingredients of this French salad have stayed the same— tuna or anchovies, potatoes, vegetables, and a bright and herby dressing, but a host of variations have evolved over the years. This hearty salad is not only a full meal, but it also makes wonderful leftovers.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Category: Salads
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 1 lb. small or new potatoes
- 1 medium onion (red or yellow), sliced
- 1 T. olive oil
- 2 t. High desert herbs, or Herbes de Provence herb blend
- ½ lb. Haricot Verts or green beans
- 3 eggs
- ½–1 seedless cucumber depending on size, thinly sliced
- 1–3 Radishes, depending on size, thinly sliced
- 1 c. pitted mixed olives, drained
- 3, 5 oz. cans, wild harvested pole and line caught albacore tuna packed in oil
For the vinaigrette:
- ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ c.freshly squeezed lemon juice, seeds discarded
- 2 t. dijon mustard
- 1 T. fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 1 T. fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 1 t. honey
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Roasting the potatoes
Preheat the oven to 425 f. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper or foil and gently toss the whole potatoes, sliced onions, olive oil, dried herbs, salt, and pepper together on the sheet tray. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Reserve.
Blanching the beans
Fill a medium saucepan ¾ full of water and bring to a boil. Season with salt until the water tastes like the sea. Before you blanch the beans, prepare a bowl of ice water. Drop the beans in the boiling water and cook just until they are tender, around 3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the beans to the ice water to stop the cooking. Transfer the beans to a clean kitchen towel and reserve.
Soft boiling the eggs
In this same pot of boiling water, gently drop the eggs into the boiling water and gently simmer for 7 minutes. Transfer the eggs to the leftover ice water bath until cooked enough to handle. Peel the eggs and reserve.
Make the vinaigrette
In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, dill, basil, honey, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Prepare the salad for serving
On a large platter, arrange the potatoes, green beans, cucumber, radish, olives, and tuna. Spoon the vinaigrette generously over the vegetables and tuna. Slice eggs in half and arrange on top. Serve immediately.
Find it online: https://highdeserttable.com/summer-salad-nicoise/