When you mention Mediterranean cuisine, Salade Niçoise is often at the top of the list. This iconic French recipe is a refreshing salad, packed full of flavours and colours. But did you know there are actually different variations on a theme?
I am sharing the recipe I enjoy the most, which uses fresh tuna instead of canned, green beans and potatoes and has no anchovies. A word of advice, recipes are not set in stone, feel free to add or leave out any ingredients you don’t like. So here is the best Salade Niçoise recipe (just don’t tell the locals!).
INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)
- Two fresh tuna steaks
- 4 large vine tomatoes
- Mixed salad leaves
- 4 eggs
- 4 large potatoes
- 1 packet of fresh green beans (haricots verts)
- 4 small radishes
- One jar of black olives
- 1 can of anchovies (optional)
- 1 teaspoon of your favourite mustard
- 4 tablespoons of cold pressed Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper
PREPARATION
- Put the eggs in cold water, bring to the boil and cook for a further 3 minutes. Then cool them quickly in cold water, peel them and cut them into quarters.
- Peel the potatoes then put them in a large saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook until just right. Cool down then cut into quarters.
- Parboil the tomatoes for a couple of minutes until the skin starts to split. Put them in cold water before peeling the skin off. Then roughly slice them up.
- Wash the beans, and cook in boiling water (with a pinch of salt) until just tender, then drain.
- Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to the tuna steaks. Then pan fry them until they are slightly pink in the middle, turning over once. Remove from the pan, and roughly break up with a fork
- Cut the olives in two and thinly slice the radishes.
- Drain the anchovy fillets and put aside
- Prepare the salad dressing (vinaigrette) by mixing in a bowl the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, mustard and add salt and pepper. Adjust quantities until your vinaigrette passes the taste test.
- Select a large serving platter and place all the ingredients one at a time, starting with the salad leaves, followed by the tuna. Then the potatoes, beans, and tomatoes. Finish with the olives, radishes and anchovies (if you really love them).
- Finally sprinkle the salad dressing over the top and enjoy!
