Salad Nicoise is a classic french recipe that is healthy, quick and easy to prepare and very delicious. As with many classics and regional dishes there are many different “authentic” versions and contemporary updates. We love this version however it is easy to customise to your own preferences, what is available in the shops or in your kitchen cupboard.
Ingredients For Salad Nicoise
250g new potatoes, scrubbed and halved or quartered if too large
100g green beans, trimmed and halved
1 Tuna steak from Walter Purkis & Sons
2 large eggs from Walter Purkis & Sons
2 Little Gem Lettuce
1/2 red pepper cut into fine strips
4 tomatoes, quartered – NB Ripeness is the most important thing rather than the type of tomato
25g black olives
Dressing Ingredients For Tuna Nicoise Salad
1 clove of garlic
2 anchovy fillets
Dijon mustard
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1tsp red wine vinegar
Cooking Method for Salad Nicoise
Making this recipe is all about preparing the seperate ingredients before assembling the final dish. Very little cooking is required the focus is on the ingredients and letting them shine together.
To begin put the potatoes in a large pan of boiling water and cook for 15-20min. Aim for them all to be similar/even sizes which will add to the look of the finished plate – half or quarter any larger potatoes.
Cook the beans in boiling water for 4-5 mins until tender with a slight crunch. Drain them well.
Put the eggs in a pan of cold water and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 6 minutes, then put into cold water. Peel and quarter.
Put you frying pan on a high heat ready to cook the tuna. When hot turn down to a medium heat and add a little olive oil. Season the tuna well all over. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Times will vary according to how thick your steak is. The aim is to get it medium rare with a little colour on the exterior. When cooked remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
Use a deep dish or shallow bowl for serving. Put the lettuce leaves in the bottom the tomatoes, quartered eggs, peppers, olives and beans on top. Slice the tuna and lay on top of the other ingredients.
Perfect Dressing For Tuna Salad Nicoise
For the dressing crush the anchovy fillets and garlic together in a pestle to make a thick paste. If you don’t have a large pestle this can be hard so grate the garlic into a bowl using a micro plane type grater then chop the anchovie fillets into small peices with a knife (or scissors) and mash with a fork. Whisk the resulting paste together drizzle in the olive oil add mustard and red wine vinegar ou can also add a little freshly squeezed lemon juice. Taste as you go and tweak the quantities to your own taste. Remember this should be a vinegrette with punch so it does not get lost with all the other tasty ingredients but brings them all together. Season well with salt and pepper and pour over the salad.
Serve your salad right away with some fresh crispy bread.
If you would like some more Tuna cooking inspiration and recipes check our blog here >>
