A Nicoise salad in layman’s terms is simply a Seared Tuna Salad. This particular salad reminds me of all sorts of picnic goodies spread across a blanket on a balmy summer day. One of the best things about picnics are all little tasty bites artfully arranged (or simply scattered) across a quilt all within arms reach. And just like a picnic, a Seared Tuna Salad has all sorts of delicious bits artfully arranged over a blanket of lettuce.
What is a Classic Nicoise Salad?
A Nicoise salad (or Seared Tuna Salad) is a constructed salad whose components are carefully grouped into small bundles on top of a bed of lettuce. A purist, which I am vehemently not, would argue a classic Nicoise salad is only comprised of anchovies, French green beans (haricots vert), cherry tomatoes, olives, a hard boiled egg, and Nicoise olives (kalamata olives) on a lofty bed of bib lettuce. Make no mistake, I do so love Love LOVE this combination! But why limit yourself?
How to Make a Seared Tuna Salad (Nicoise Salad) with Vinaigrette
This recipe makes 4 salads. First, start by making a simple vinaigrette. Whisk the following ingredients together in a bowl:
- 1 tablespoons white wine vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Continue whisking and drizzle 1/2 cup olive oil very slowly into this mixture. This will create an emulsion. That means your salad dressing will stay together and not separate.
- Wash and tear 6 cups of lettuce (Bib, Boston, Romain) into bite size pieces and divide between 4 plates
- Cut 2 8z tuna steaks in half, light salt them and sear in a skillet over medium high heat with a little olive oil.
- Steam 12 small fingerling potatoes and 4-6 ounces of haricot vert (trimmed thin green beans) until they are fork tender.
- Boil 2 eggs for 7-10 minutes. Then peel and slice them once they’ve cooled.
- Slice 12-16 cherry tomatoes.
- Thinly slice 1/2 of a small red onion.
- Coarsely chop 1/2 cup kalamata olives.
- Place each group of vegetables into the vinaigrette individually. Take each one out, one at a time, and artfully arrange 1/4 of each group on each plate of lettuce.
- Center seared tuna on each salad and slices of boiled egg.
- Drizzle any left over vinaigrette over the salad.
Nicoise Variations
Why not Get CRAZY with your salad? Maybe switch out the anchovies with tuna or even salmon, add some roasted red bell peppers, small fingerling potatoes, grilled artichokes and palm hearts.
And don’t forget to use a really good olive oil in the vinaigrette. How do you know a good olive oil from one that’s not so great? Taste it! Olive oil is a lot like wine. A good one is the one you like. It should taste fresh and light, not the least bit rancid.
How do you know your fish is fresh?
If you decide to make this Seared Tuna Salad with a fine piece of fresh fish, how do you know it’s really fresh? Here’s a short 1 minutes video that will give you the key things to look for.
These tips work for any fresh fish. Keep them in mind when you make Pecan Crusted Salmon over mustard sauce, Parsley Mussels Salad, or Steamed Tilapia.
Most classic Nicoise salads you’ll find in restaurants feature seared tuna, potatoes, green beans, capers, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled egg, and black olives in their salad. Regardless of how you want to make yours, traditional, classic, or creative, the choice is up to you!
Seared Tuna Salad (Nicoise Salad)
This is a French composed salad featuring seared tuna and a variety of other tasty bits like hard boiled egg, haricots vert (thin green beans), steamed fingerling potatoes, tomatoes and olives. The fun part is using your creativity to change it up to include your favorites! | www.lakesidetable.com
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste optional
Salad
- 6 cups lettuce washed and torn into bite size pieces
- 2 8 oz tuna steaks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 eggs hard boiled and sliced
- 12 small fingerling potatoes steamed to fork tender
- 16 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 4-6 ounces haricot vert (thin green beans) trimmed and steamed
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives
Instructions
Vinaigrette
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Whisk together all the ingredients except for the olive oil in a bowl. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling olive oil to create an emulsion.
Salad
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Steam the potatoes and haricot vert until fork tender and boil the eggs. Carefully lower eggs into boiling water and boil for 7-10 minutes. Shock the eggs, potatoes and beans in ice water to stop them from cooking. Peal the eggs and slice.
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Divide lettuce between 4 plates.
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Place each group of vegetables into the vinaigrette individually. Take each one out, one at a time, and artfully arrange 1/4 of each group on each plate of lettuce.
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Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Cut the steaks in half. Add olive oil and sear tuna steaks for 3 minutes on each side when oil is hot.
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Place seared tuna in the middle of each salad along with slices of hard boiled egg. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette (if any) over salad.
Recipe Notes
Depending on the weight of your green beans, you're looking for a small bundle for each salad.
Variations:
This is a colorful and snappy salad! Have fun including only your favorite additions and leave out any that you're not crazy about. Here's a few more ideas I like to put in my salad:
- capers
- roasted red peppers
- roasted garlic
- green olives
- grilled artichokes
- palm hearts
- fava beans
