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Nicoise Salad

A refreshing salad for the summer that comes from France, filled with tuna chunks, har boiled eggs, tomatoes, potatoes, green beens, olives and capers. Serve it with mustard, lemon juice and olive oil making for a delicious main course.

Okay, I don’t know about you but summer is taking a toll on me and this salad is perfect for the season. Traditionally it is the French version of the American Cobb salad filled with tuna chunks, hard boiled eggs, green beans, tomatoes, onions, olives, capers, lettuce served with mustard dressing. It hails from Nice on the Mediterranean Sea but this version is anything but traditional. I have tweaked it to the way I like enjoying it. 

How make a Nicoise salad (Do’s & Don’ts)?

The beauty about Nicoise salad is the ingredients. We don’t want to do too much to them, we want them to be as fresh as possible and the best you can get your hands on. Its the freshness that REALLY makes the difference here. You don’t want to skip on good quality. This recipe is not authentic as I like pan frying the potatoes once boiled. I prefer grainy mustard on the side rather than dressing drizzled over the top and a few herb infused olives with pimentos instead of the classic green olives. As long as you work with the best ingredients you are on a winning recipe. 

What ingredients do you need to make a Nicoise salad?

Traditionally a Nicoise salad consists of hard boiled eggs, tuna chunks, steamed green beans, boiled baby potatoes, green olives, tomatoes, red onions, capers, baby gem lettuce and a mustard vinaigrette filled with dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, herbs and seasoning. 

This recipe consists of mostly the same ingredients but I changed it up a bit. There is no mustard vinaigrette but there is grainy mustard mixed with finely sliced shallots, minced garlic and a little lemon juice. I drizzle the olive oil over the ingredients directly. Also I don’t use herbs in this recipe I like using herb infused olives instead. The tomatoes are cherry tomatoes and I haven’t used sliced red onion. A little flakey sea salt goes a long way.

What equipment do you need to make a Nicoise salad?

We don’t need any fancy equipment to make this recipe. I do need a few cooking pots to boil the potatoes and steam the green beans. To mince the garlic I use a grater, and for the pan frying I use a sauté pan. You can serve the salad in any way you please but I like serving it in an oval platter. A knife to cut the veggies and eggs. 

How to prepare a Nicoise salad?

We start by cutting each potato in half and placing them in room temperature water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Let them cook for 8-10 minutes until soft. Remove the potatoes from the water add the eggs and cook for 6-8 minutes. I like my egg yolks jammy, you can cook them for 10 minutes to ensure they are hard boiled. Half way through the cooking add the green beans and cook for 2-4 minutes or so until crunchy but not over cooked. I like my green beans having some bite to it. Using tongs remove the green beans from the water and let it drain on kitchen towel. Remove the eggs from the water and peel them. Cut into halves and set aside. In a sauté pan on medium heat add a little oil and pan fry the boiled potatoes until golden. Season with salt and pepper, set aside. Ope the can of tuna and drain out the oil/water.

Time to plate, in a platter add the potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, boiled eggs and tuna chunks. Drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt flakes, add black pepper on the eggs. In a small bowl add the grainy mustard, grate over the garlic, add lemon juice and finely chopped shallots, stir well and dollop on the side of the plate. Add the lettuce on the edge of the plate. 

How to serve a Nicoise salad?

Serve it warm or cold with white wine or sparkling water. I love serving this for brunch or lunch. It is a great grazing platter to have if you’ve got company. Make it ahead and store it in the fridge, when ready to serve add the mustard and olive oil. I love serving this with crusty garlic bread as well. A little pesto is a fantastic addition – not traditional but delicious. 

How to store a Nicoise salad?

The leftovers can be store in the fridge in an air tight container for 3-4 days. I would recommend storing the components separately. The hard boiled eggs should be stored separate from the tuna and the veggies or else everything with smell of eggs and fish which is not every appetizing. The mustard can be stored in a jar at room temperature for a week. 

Now that we have covered how to make this Nicoise salad, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration. 

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.  

Niçoise Salad

A refreshing salad for the summer that comes from France, filled with tuna chunks, har boiled eggs, tomatoes, potatoes, green beens, olives and capers. Serve it with mustard, lemon juice and olive oil making for a delicious main course.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer, Brunch, Lunch, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish, Week night meals
Cuisine French
Servings 2 people

Equipment

  • Cooking pots
  • Grater
  • Mixing bowls
  • Tongs
  • Serving platter

Ingredients
  

Salad -

  • 10 pcs baby potatoes halved
  • 1 cup green beans ends removed
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes some halved and others left whole
  • 1/4 cup herbed olives
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • 4 hard boiled eggs
  • 1 can tuna water/oil drained
  • 1 baby lettuce head quartered
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp flakey sea salt

Mustard sauce -

  • 1/4 cup grainy mustard
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 garlic minced
  • 1/2 shallot finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • We start by cutting each potato in half and placing them in room temperature water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Let them cook for 8-10 minutes until soft.
  • Remove the potatoes from the water add the eggs and cook for 6-8 minutes. I like my egg yolks jammy, you can cook them for 10 minutes to ensure they are hard boiled.
  • Half way through the cooking add the green beans and cook for 2-4 minutes or so until crunchy but not over cooked. I like my green beans to have some bite to it. Using tongs remove the green beans from the water and let it drain on kitchen towel.
  • Remove the eggs from the water and peel them. Cut into halves and set aside.
  • In a sauté pan on medium heat add a little oil and pan fry the boiled potatoes until golden. Season with salt and pepper, set aside. Open the can of tuna and drain out the oil/water.
  • Time to plate, in a platter add the potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, boiled eggs and tuna chunks. Drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt flakes, add black pepper on the eggs.
  • In a small bowl add the grainy mustard, grate over the garlic, add lemon juice and finely chopped shallots, stir well and dollop on the side of the plate. Add the lettuce on the edge of the plate.
  • Serve it warm or cold with white wine or sparkling water.

Notes

  • Do not over cook the potatoes or else they will get mushy and it will be difficult to pan fry them later.
  • Do not over cook the green bean, they should have some bite to it.

1 thought on “Niçoise Salad”

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