Salade Niçoise

About This Recipe

Salade Niçoise is a composed salad from Nice that's embraced throughout Monaco and the Côte d'Azur region. This elegant dish combines crisp vegetables (potatoes, green beans, tomatoes), hard-boiled eggs, canned or fresh tuna, and anchovies, all arranged artfully on a bed of greens and dressed with a simple vinaigrette. It's light, sophisticated, and perfect for summer dining. Rooted in the everyday cooking of Monegasque kitchens, Salade Niçoise balances technique and tradition: the new potatoes is treated with care, drawing on time-honoured ratios that locals have refined across generations. The dish carries an unmistakable sensory signature — aromas that fill the kitchen as it cooks, layered textures that reveal themselves bite by bite, and a depth of flavour that comes from patient seasoning rather than shortcuts. Whether served as a weeknight lunch or as the centrepiece of a celebratory table, it reflects a regional pantry where local produce, seasoning habits and cooking vessels shape the final result. Home cooks who make this dish often note how forgiving it is once the core method is understood, and how a few small choices — the freshness of the new potatoes, the order of additions, the resting time at the end — separate a good version from a memorable one. This recipe walks through those choices so the dish arrives with the character it has on its home turf.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 200 gnew potatoes
• 150 ggreen beans
• 100 gmixed salad greens
• 3 mediumtomatoes, quartered
• 2 largeeggs, hard-boiled
• 200 gcanned tuna in oil (or fresh)
• 6 anchovy filletscanned or jarred
• 1/4 cupniçoise olives
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1 tbspred wine vinegar

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook vegetables

   Boil potatoes until tender, 15 minutes. Blanch green beans 3-4 minutes until tender-crisp. Cool both.

2. 2

   Assemble base

   Arrange salad greens on a platter or plate. Scatter cooled potatoes and green beans around.

3. 3

   Add proteins

   Arrange tuna, sliced hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, tomatoes, and olives on top in an artful pattern.

4. 4

   Dress and serve

   Whisk together olive oil and red wine vinegar. Drizzle over salad just before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

Variations

• •

  Use fresh grilled tuna instead of canned

• •

  Add roasted red peppers

• •

  Include fresh mozzarella instead of eggs

• •

  Vegetarian: replace the main protein with mushrooms, paneer, tofu or hearty beans for a meat-free version.

• •

  Spicier: add fresh chilli, a chilli paste or a pinch of cayenne with the aromatics for a warmer profile.

Storage

Assemble just before serving. Vegetables can be prepped ahead and chilled. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat with a splash of water or stock to loosen, or microwave at 60% power covered so it warms without drying. Freezes well for up to 2 months in portioned containers; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Dishes built on dairy or fried elements may shift in texture after freezing — refresh with a crisp garnish.

Frequently Asked Questions