Nicoise is the best salad… ever!
I can’t remember when was the first time I ever tried a Nicoise Salad. I do remember however that this was my go-to lunch of choice from a cafe near one of my former jobs. It’s an amazing salad. I honestly can’t rate it enough. And lately, I’ve been craving it as I now don’t work near any cafe that serves it.
What is a Nicoise Salad?
First of all, it should be written as Salad Niçoise as it’s French and originated from the town of Nice by the French Riviera. It is quite a classical dish made with potatoes, lettuce, beans, egg, olives, tomato and the main feature… tuna. As you can tell from the ingredients, this salad contains a whole heap of goodness.
There is one ingredient I want to particularly talk about. That’s anchovies. They are renowned for being the salty little fish added sometimes on pizza. While this is true, that’s not their only use. Please don’t skimp from including anchovies in the salad dressing. When these are mashed up, they add a salty flavour into the dressing that with all the other ingredients in the salad just works.
Now just because it’s French and contains anchovies, don’t let that scare you. It truly is an easy salad to make that is really delicious.
With the added potatoes and boiled egg, this is quite a filling salad that will satisfy hungry tummies. You can’t say that about many of the salads that exist! A nicoise salad can be eaten for lunch or dinner. Besides being satisfying, the next best thing about this salad is it’s perfect for any time of the year, not only in summer. It doesn’t rely on seasonal produce and the potatoes, beans and egg are still warm when served to make it perfect for the cooler months.
Want another delicious recipe?
If you like this recipe, you’ll also love others available here. From pastas to risottos, cookies to desserts, and bliss balls to gluten-free options with everything in between. There is truly something here for everyone. I have developed this website to provide family-friendly recipes where I maximise both fresh produce while minimising cost.
Nicoise Salad
Ingredients
SALAD
- 12 small chat potatoes, halved (about 650g)
- 400 g baby green beans, trimmed
- 425 g can tuna in oil, drained and flaked
- 250 g grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup black olives, halved
- 2 whole baby cos lettuce hearts, leaves separated, washed and roughly broken up
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
DRESSING
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and mashed into a paste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- fresh cracked pepper
- salt
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl add the baby cos lettuce.
- Cook the potatoes and eggs in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender. While leaving the water inside the pot, transfer the potatoes to the large salad bowl using a slotted spoon. Also remove the eggs and take off the shells. Cut eggs in half and set aside.
- Add beans to the pot and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until bright green and just tender. Drain. Rinse under cold water to halt the cooking. Drain again and add beans to the large salad bowl.
- Add tuna, tomato, olives, and eggs to the salad bowl.
- To make the dressing, whisk together the oil, vinegar, anchovy paste, mustard and garlic in a jug. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Add this dressing to the salad and toss gently to combine.
- Serve immediately with crusty French bread.