Salade Niçoise (nee-SWAHZ) is a classic salad that seems light but is filling enough to be a main-dish meal. With all the different colored vegetables on the plate, it makes for a beautiful presentation.
Niçoise salad contains tuna and egg as the protein with a ton of vegetables thrown in that are drizzled with a vinaigrette.
Tuna
Instead of canned tuna, I decided to buy a slice of fresh tuna from a local fishmonger. It tastes so much better than canned tuna.
Hard-boiled eggs
I used regular farm eggs, but I checked Thomas Keller's French Laundry Cookbook, and he uses quail eggs. His take on Niçoise salad is unique, as is everything he does. Very inspiring.
Watch a pro hard-boil eggs.
Vegetables
Butter lettuce, green beans, yellow beans, red pepper, yellow pepper, orange pepper, red tomatoes, red potatoes, white potatoes, and red onion. The rainbow of colors makes this salad a thing of beauty. There are other vegetables you can use instead, such as artichokes, cucumber, fava beans, or fennel. Different lettuce can also be used, such as frisée or romaine.
Olives
Of course, Niçoise olives are the ones to use in this salad, but another option from brainchild Thomas Keller is a tapenade, which is a purée of olives, capers, and olive oil.
Vinaigrette
As I learned for the Frisée aux lardons, a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Flavorings such as mustard, salt, and pepper are sometimes used. Always whisk the vinegar and flavorings first, and then whisk in the oil. The dressing is usually drizzled over the top or served on the side.
Playing with presentation
Since this salad is part of the “composed” family of salads (or salade composée, in French), it’s a good one to practice food-presentation skills. You can arrange the plate, play with color, and introduce shapes such as rings, hearts or whatever suits your fancy.
Watch a pro
Here’s a video on how to make Salade Niçoise.
Niçoise salad contains tuna and egg as the protein with a ton of vegetables thrown in that are drizzled with a vinaigrette.
Tuna
Instead of canned tuna, I decided to buy a slice of fresh tuna from a local fishmonger. It tastes so much better than canned tuna.
Hard-boiled eggs
I used regular farm eggs, but I checked Thomas Keller's French Laundry Cookbook, and he uses quail eggs. His take on Niçoise salad is unique, as is everything he does. Very inspiring.
Watch a pro hard-boil eggs.
Vegetables
Butter lettuce, green beans, yellow beans, red pepper, yellow pepper, orange pepper, red tomatoes, red potatoes, white potatoes, and red onion. The rainbow of colors makes this salad a thing of beauty. There are other vegetables you can use instead, such as artichokes, cucumber, fava beans, or fennel. Different lettuce can also be used, such as frisée or romaine.
Olives
Of course, Niçoise olives are the ones to use in this salad, but another option from brainchild Thomas Keller is a tapenade, which is a purée of olives, capers, and olive oil.
Vinaigrette
As I learned for the Frisée aux lardons, a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Flavorings such as mustard, salt, and pepper are sometimes used. Always whisk the vinegar and flavorings first, and then whisk in the oil. The dressing is usually drizzled over the top or served on the side.
Playing with presentation
Since this salad is part of the “composed” family of salads (or salade composée, in French), it’s a good one to practice food-presentation skills. You can arrange the plate, play with color, and introduce shapes such as rings, hearts or whatever suits your fancy.
Watch a pro
Here’s a video on how to make Salade Niçoise.
Recipe: Salade Niçoise (Vegetable salad Provençale, garnished with tuna, anchovies and egg)
Serves: 2
2 eggs, hard-boiled, cut in half or quarters
2 eggs, hard-boiled, cut in half or quarters
1 7-8 ounce slice of tuna (or 7-ounce can)
2 small new potatoes (I used one red and one white for color), cut in half or quarters
Salt
2 ounces green beans
2 ounces yellow beans
5 grape tomatoes, cut in half
½ red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, cut into julienne
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
Salt
2 ounces green beans
2 ounces yellow beans
5 grape tomatoes, cut in half
½ red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, cut into julienne
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
1 head butter lettuce
2-4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained
4-5 black olives (preferably Niçoise or Kalamata), pitted
2-4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained
4-5 black olives (preferably Niçoise or Kalamata), pitted
Vinaigrette:
1½ tablespoons white-wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ tablespoons olive oil
Tasting NotesThis is a simple, but satisfying salad. It’s a fun salad to play around with, but since the ingredients are all so beautiful, it’s hard to go wrong.
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Running total: $261.55 + $19.87 = $281.42 (That tuna was expensive, but it was worth it!)
Butter used so far: 4 pounds, 19.5 tablespoons
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