Salade niçoise is the classic composed salad of Nice, and a natural companion to our ratatouille (recipe on the site). It is a good alternative to salada de atum (recipe on the site) and salada de polvo (recipe on the site) on nights that call for something cold, substantial and Mediterranean.
Ask ten people from Nice what belongs in a real salade niçoise and you will start an argument. Purists insist it should be entirely raw, tomatoes, cucumber, tiny black niçoise olives, anchovies, good tuna packed in olive oil, hard-boiled eggs, with absolutely no cooked potatoes or green beans allowed anywhere near it.
The version most people know and love, with blanched green beans and boiled potatoes, is not what purists in Nice would serve, but it is the one that shows up at nearly every American brunch table, so the recipe lets you choose either way.
The one thing worth splurging on here is the tuna: a good jarred or canned tuna packed in olive oil makes a bigger difference in this dish than in almost anything else. Make it in the height of summer, when tomatoes taste like something again, and you will understand why the French have been arguing about this salad for a century.
Salade Niçoise Recipe
Ingredients
- For the salad:
- 4 large eggs
- 8 ounces green beans, trimmed
- 4 small Yukon gold potatoes, halved (optional, for the composed version)
- 1 (5- to 6-ounce) can or jar high-quality tuna packed in olive oil
- 4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Niçoise olives
- 8 anchovy fillets (optional but traditional)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- For the vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- If using potatoes, cook them in salted boiling water until fork-tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- Blanch the green beans in the same pot of boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, until crisp-tender, then transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
- Place the eggs in a small pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 9 minutes for a just-set yolk. Drain, cool, peel, and quarter.
- Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper for the vinaigrette.
- Arrange the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, green beans, potatoes, and olives on a large platter. Flake the tuna over the top and tuck in the anchovy fillets and egg quarters.
- Drizzle generously with the vinaigrette, scatter with basil leaves, and serve right away.
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