Salade Niçoise

About This Recipe

Salade Niçoise (literally 'salad from Nice') is one of the most elegant and complete dishes in the French culinary repertoire. Originating in the Côte d'Azur region of southern France, it was traditionally composed only of raw vegetables: tomatoes, olives, anchovy fillets, hard-boiled eggs — with no cooked vegetables. The addition of green beans, potatoes and tuna (fresh or canned) happened over time and is now considered standard outside France, though purists still dispute it. Whatever the version, the Niçoise is arranged rather than tossed — each ingredient kept in its own cluster — and dressed with a simple, robust vinaigrette just before serving.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 2 × 150 gtuna steaks(or 2 tins good tuna in oil)
• 4eggs(soft-boiled 7 minutes)
• 200 gfine green beans(blanched)
• 200 gcherry tomatoes(halved)
• 300 gsmall potatoes(boiled and halved)
• 80 gNiçoise or Kalamata olives
• 8anchovy fillets
• 2 tbspcapers
• 2 headslittle gem lettuce(leaves separated)
• 1 tspDijon mustard
• 2 tbspred wine vinegar
• 5 tbspextra virgin olive oil
• 1 to tastesalt and pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dressing

   Whisk together mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

2. 2

   Sear tuna (if using fresh)

   If using tuna steaks, season and sear in a hot pan 2 minutes each side until medium. Flake when rested.

3. 3

   Arrange

   Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter. Group tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, olives, eggs (halved), anchovies and capers separately.

4. 4

   Add tuna and dress

   Place tuna in the centre. Drizzle dressing generously over everything.

   Serve immediately — never toss a Niçoise.

5. 5

   Serve

   Bring to the table and serve immediately without tossing.

Variations

• •

  Substitute smoked salmon for tuna.

• •

  Add roasted red peppers for extra colour and sweetness.

• •

  Use a basil vinaigrette for a more Provençal note.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Assemble and dress just before serving. Components keep separately in the fridge for 2 days.

Frequently Asked Questions