Description
Classic Nicoise Salad is a refreshing and bright French salad originating in Nice, with fresh Micro Rainbow Mix microgreens, potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, hard-boiled eggs and tuna, dressed with a dijon mustard vinaigrette.
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 clove mashed garlic
- 1 Tablespoon fine chopped shallot
- To taste: Salt and freshly ground pepper
- You can start adding 1/2 teaspoon of each and adjust to your liking.
For the salad:
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2-pound fingerling potatoes
- I use fingerling purple and fingerling potato
- 4 ounces green beans
- 1 5-ounce can of tuna packed in oil
- Drain the oil. My favorite brand is Tonnino
- 2 medium quartered multi-color cherry tomatoes
- 3 cups leafy salad greens
- micro rainbow mix or you can use any mix greens
- 1/3 cup green onions
- 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata Olives
- 1 avocado
Instructions
Make the vinaigrette:
- In a small mason jar, add the champagne vinegar, olive oil, Dijon Mustard, mashed garlic, salt, and pepper. Shake the jar until the dressing is emulsified.
- Very important: Make the dressing first and let the flavors come together. Leave it outside until the rest of the salad is ready.
Cook ingredients for the salad:
- Eggs: Place the eggs in a small saucepan and cover them with an inch of water. Cook over high heat to bring the water to a boil. Then turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes. Drain the water and place the eggs in ice water to cool. Once cooled, peel and quarter the eggs. Set aside. Note: I used to use these traditional instructions, but now I’m using the Egg Cooker with Built-In Timer by Hamilton Beach.
- Potatoes: Place the potatoes in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a generous amount of salt and bring to a boil, then reduced to medium heat. Cook until potatoes are tender - about 10 minutes. You can check the tenderness by piercing the potato with a fork. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise. Set aside.
- Green beans: In the same pot with the water you cooked the potatoes, cook the green beans. Bring the water to a boil and add the green beans. Cook until they are bright green and crisp-tender – about 3 to 4 minutes, or if you like them softer, boil for a minute longer. Remove beans with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl with chilly water. Then drain in a colander. Cut the green beans 2” length or bite-size. Set aside.
Assembling the Nicoise Salad
- Take the tuna out of the jar and discard the olive oil. I break the tuna into chunks.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in two halves.
- Cut the Kalamata olives in two halves if you wish.
- Arrange the ingredients along the outer edges of the bowl starting with the micro rainbow mix, then the potatoes, eggs, green beans, tomatoes, and tuna. Then in the center, place half of a sliced avocado. Sprinkle on some green onions
- Shake the dressing again and drizzle over the salad.
Notes
Some recipes call to dress each ingredient separate to allow each ingredient to have the right amount of dressing.
Make-ahead Nicoise salad: The ingredients can be stored in individual containers for up to three days. If you do this, do not slice the ingredients until you are ready to assemble the salad. The dressing is already in the mason jar, so just put it in the refrigerator and take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you are planning to assemble the salad. This will allow the oil to melt.
The key for a delicious and fresh salad is to buy quality ingredients. Spend an extra couple of dollars on a high-quality tuna packed in olive oil. The same applies for the mustard & the extra virgin olive oil.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: tossing
- Cuisine: French
