Salads
Salade Niçoise
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) Good-quality tinned tuna in olive oil, drained
- 4 large eggs, hard-boiled and halved
- 200 g (7 oz) Green beans, trimmed and blanched
- 4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
- 1 small cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 100 g (3/4 cup) Niçoise olives
- 8 anchovy fillets
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Blanch green beans in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, then plunge into ice water; drain.
- Whisk olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper together for the vinaigrette.
- Arrange tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and bell pepper on a large platter.
- Add the green beans, tuna chunks, halved eggs, olives and anchovy fillets on top.
- Drizzle the entire salad with vinaigrette just before serving.
Introduction: Hailing from Nice on the Côte d’Azur, salade niçoise began as a simple composition of raw vegetables, olives and anchovies eaten by local farmers and fishermen.
Cultural Background: Hailing from Nice on the Côte d’Azur, salade niçoise began as a simple composition of raw vegetables, olives and anchovies eaten by local farmers and fishermen. Tuna, potatoes and green beans were later additions that sparked ongoing debate over the ‘authentic’ version.
Tips: Purists insist on no cooked potatoes and no lettuce — keep the vegetables raw or simply blanched for the authentic Niçoise texture.
Variations: A modern version adds boiled new potatoes; some cooks swap tinned tuna for a seared fresh tuna steak. Omit tuna and anchovies; add extra olives, capers and marinated artichoke hearts for savoury depth. Follow the vegetarian version and omit the eggs, adding roasted chickpeas for protein.
Storage: Components can be prepped separately and refrigerated up to 1 day; dress only just before serving.
Reheating: Not applicable — served cold/room temperature.
FAQs:
Q: Is salade niçoise traditionally served with potatoes?
A: Purists in Nice traditionally exclude potatoes and lettuce, though many modern versions include boiled potatoes.
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