Niçoise Salad (Food and Crafts for All Occasions)

Whenever we’re in a mood for a lighter dinner, I made a large “all inclusive” salad like Caesar with chicken or fried oysters or Niçoise. Here you have your proteins, greens and starches all in one light and healthy dish.

If you haven’t tried Niçoise before, think of it as a French Cobb Salad. Like Cobb, it is a composed salad that consists of a variety of toppings, arranged on a bed of greens and drizzled with vinaigrette. The traditional toppings are tuna, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, olives, potatoes and haricot vert (French variety of green beans, usually much thinner than regular local variety). I’m not a particular fan of green beans, so I replace them with asparagus. Also, I don’t think canned tuna, which you see in Niçoise recipes here and there, is any good substitute for fresh tuna steak. So don’t you even think about it! If fresh or fresh frozen tuna is not available, take swordfish instead or make a vegetarian version of Niçoise.

Here’s my take on the French classic.

You will need:

6-8 baby potatoes, halved (I prefer baby Dutch for their creaminess, but other kinds will work as well)
6-8 asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed off
2 Large chicken eggs or 6 quail eggs, hard or semi-hard boiled (I prefer on a softer side)
A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
Several caper berries or pitted green olives, halved
About 4 oz mixed green salad
1 endive, halved and sliced thinly on the bias (do it right before serving and the endive will oxidize and turn pinkish)
About ½ ahi or albacore tuna, on large fillet or several small ones

Tuna marinade:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
A generous pinch of each salt, black pepper and dry tarragon
A small pinch of dry thyme

Garlic Vinaigrette:

1 small garlic clove, minced
1.5 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard with grains
4-5 Tbsp olive oil
Several drops of honey if the dressing is too tart
Salt and black pepper, to taste
A pinch each of dried tarragon and dried thyme

Start with making the dressing. With a whisk, stir together garlic, vinegar and mustard. Slowly add oil while keeping on whisking. Season with salt, black pepper and dried herbs. Add honey, if the dressing is too tart to your taste.

In a wide shallow container, combine all the ingredients for tuna marinade. Place the tuna fillet(s) into the container and toss well to coat all over with the marinade. Put in the fridge or leave on a counter if the room temperature is not too warm for about 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, simmer the potato halves in water until tender. Drain well and toss with a couple of teaspoons of the dressing.

Blanch asparagus for about 40-50 seconds and transfer to ice cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel, slice on the bias into 1 inch long pieces and add to the potatoes.

Heat a dry non-stick pan and add the tuna steaks. Very briefly sear them on all sides so that the center of the fish stays raw. Remove from the pan, let rest for about 3-4 minutes and then slice against the grain.

Toss greens with some dressing. You don’t have to use all of the dressing. If the greens are overdressed, they become soggy and wilted.

Arrange the greens on a platter or divide between individual plates. Arrange all the toppings in rows or throw them on top in an artistic chaos, if you fell like it, and drizzle with more dressing on top.

Here's a neat, more classic serving style: