The Famous Salad Niçoise
A few months ago, I made The Famous Cobb Salad; a famous American salad, comprised of pretty much everything lying around a 1930's restaurant. It was quite popular! So popular, in fact, it inspired me to come up with the French equivalent, the similar, but more fishy ... Salad Niçoise!
Salad Niçoise is actually up for interpretation. The term "Niçoise" simply means it's a dish made with the type of foods a Chef in Nice, France might use. This very likely implies it's going to be fresh, in-season produce, fresh and locally caught fish and some kind of tasty salad dressing.
Looking around, it seems there are some clearly common ingredients, such as tuna and anchovies. Other usual suspects are green beans, tomatoes and potatoes. There tends to be a wide assortment of pickled goodies, like olives, capers and artichoke hearts, as well as hard boiled eggs.
Ok, the list continues: carrots, red beets, golden beets, radishes, cucumbers, green onions, red onions, white onions, celery, shallots, garlic, etc.
I think the point is, if it's fresh, in-season and yummy ... throw it in there!
This salad is unequivocally fresh, vibrant, crunchy, colorful, tangy and tantalizing. It's got tarty acid and healthy fats from the dressing and little bursts of salt from the anchovies. The egg provides some soft textures and another protein source. The variety of (mostly) raw vegetables provide a wide mix of nutrients.
This, like its American cousin, is another salad that could save lives. Eating one a day ...
Salad Niçoise is actually up for interpretation. The term "Niçoise" simply means it's a dish made with the type of foods a Chef in Nice, France might use. This very likely implies it's going to be fresh, in-season produce, fresh and locally caught fish and some kind of tasty salad dressing.
Looking around, it seems there are some clearly common ingredients, such as tuna and anchovies. Other usual suspects are green beans, tomatoes and potatoes. There tends to be a wide assortment of pickled goodies, like olives, capers and artichoke hearts, as well as hard boiled eggs.
Ok, the list continues: carrots, red beets, golden beets, radishes, cucumbers, green onions, red onions, white onions, celery, shallots, garlic, etc.
I think the point is, if it's fresh, in-season and yummy ... throw it in there!
This salad is unequivocally fresh, vibrant, crunchy, colorful, tangy and tantalizing. It's got tarty acid and healthy fats from the dressing and little bursts of salt from the anchovies. The egg provides some soft textures and another protein source. The variety of (mostly) raw vegetables provide a wide mix of nutrients.
This, like its American cousin, is another salad that could save lives. Eating one a day ...
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 365.8575kcal
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 4 sprigs fresh tarragon leaves only (chopped)
- 1 each garlic cloves finely minced
- 2 tbsp shallots finely chopped
- 2 tsp capers drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 1/2 lb green beans ends removed
- 4 cups butterhead lettuce (boston bibb)
- 1/4 cup assorted french olives coursely chopped
- 1/2 lb cherry tomatoes washed, dried and halved or quartered
- 16 each boneless anchovy filets
- 4 each super fresh tuna steaks (yellowfin (ahi) or albacore)
- 1 tbsp light oil (for sautéing ... such as coconut olive or ghee)
- 4 each hard boiled eggs peeled and chopped or cut in half
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, put a medium sized pot of water on the stove to boil.
- While waiting for the water to boil, you can make your vinaigrette. In a mixing bowl, whisk together your garlic, Dijon, shallots, capers and fresh tarragon, with a little salt and pepper.
- While whisking your mustard mixture, slowly pour in your oil. This should "emulsify" (blend the oil) the dressing, creating something thicker and creamier, than a "broken" vinaigrette (one that is separated). Set aside.
- Get a bowl of ice water and set it near your sink.
- Heavily season your boiling water with salt. Add your green beans to the water and allow to boil until cooked about 95% of the way done. Should still be a bit crunchy (somewhere between 2 and 5 minutes, depending on thickness of beans and personal preference). When the beans are cooked, strain them out of the boiling water and immediately place them into the bowl of ice water. Set aside to chill.
- In a large salad bowl, add your torn or slices lettuce, olives, tomatoes and anchovies (as well as anything else you might choose to add to this concoction!). At this point, your green beans should be thoroughly chilled. Pull the from the ice water and shake off any extra water. Add them to the bowl. Add about 3/4rs of your dressing to the bowl with a little salt and pepper. Mix well and then distribute between 4 different plates.
- Preheat a sauté pan or skillet on the stove, over high heat.
- Season your tuna with salt and pepper.
- Add your oil to the pan and swirl it around. Place your 4 steaks into the hot pan. They should not touch one another. Sear each side of each piece of tuna, for about 30 seconds, on each side. You just want to sear the outside, leaving the center completely raw. Once all sides are seared, remove them from the pan.
- Slice each tuna steak and fan it over the top of each salad. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the tuna. Garnish with hard boiled eggs and serve!
Nutrition
Serving: 4g | Calories: 365.8575kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.5825g | Protein: 49.5125g | Fat: 12.15g | Fiber: 4.01g