A Classic Niçoise Salad is a vibrant medley of fresh, wholesome ingredients that embody the essence of the French Riviera. Begin with a bed of crisp greens like Bibb or butter lettuce. Top it with blanched green beans, tender new potatoes, juicy tomatoes, and briny Niçoise olives. Add protein with oil-packed tuna and hard-boiled eggs. Finish with a drizzle of tangy Dijon vinaigrette, and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve it as a light main course or a shareable side, perfect for sunny lunches or elegant dinners. Bon appétit!
Ingredients
- 1 pound red-skinned potatoes, sliced 1/3 inch thick
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 10 ounces thin green beans, trimmed
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 head Boston lettuce, leaves separated
- 6 radishes, trimmed and quartered
- 2 5 ½ -ounce cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained
- 1/2 cup nicoise olives 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
Directions
Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl; drizzle with the wine and let cool. Reserve the saucepan.
Meanwhile, bring a separate saucepan of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with salted ice water. Add the green beans to the boiling water; cook until crisp-tender and bright green, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to cool; drain and pat dry.
Place the eggs in the reserved saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from the heat and let stand, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, then run under cold water to cool. Peel under cold running water.
Make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, shallot, mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.
Toss the tomatoes in a small bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Add about 1/4 cup dressing to the potatoes and toss. Quarter the hard-cooked eggs.
Divide the lettuce among 4 plates. Arrange the potatoes, green beans, radishes, hard-cooked eggs and tuna on top. Pour any juices from the tomatoes into the dressing, then add the tomatoes to the plates. Drizzle with the dressing and top with the olives and garnish with parsley.