Updated 14-Sep-2023
Salad Nicoise, (pronounced sa-lad nih-swaaz), aka Salad Niçoise, aka La Salada Nissarda, aka the salad from Nice (nees).
> Salade niçoise (French pronunciation: [niˈswaz]), la salada nissarda in the Niçard dialect of the Occitan language, is a salad that originated in the French city of Nice. It is traditionally made of tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives, anchovies, and dressed with olive oil. It has been popular worldwide since the early 20th century, and has been prepared and discussed by many famous chefs. Delia Smith called it "one of the best combinations of salad ingredients ever invented" and Gordon Ramsay said that "it must be the finest summer salad of all." - Salad Niçoise - Wikipedia
> I learned to make the classic Salad Niçoise when I cooked on a yacht off the South of France. Over the past decade, I've evolved this salad and it now appears frequently on my menus, sometimes as a simple starter or, as I've done here, with a whole piece of beautifully fresh fish as a main course. Whatever guise this dish takes, it must be the finest summer salad of all. > > Fresh, seared tuna is infinitely better with this salad than tinned. I like to cook both portions of tuna as a whole piece, which is easier to cook, and then slice it into two once it's done. Rather than adding too many ingredients to the salad, I've taken the olives and anchovies from the classic version and incorporated them into a dressing.
Recipes for Salad Niçoise
Main ingredients of Salad Niçoise
- Lettuce
- Halved cherry tomatoes
- New potatoes
- French green beans (Haricot Vert)
- Fresh tuna
- Eggs
- Lemon juice
- Olive Oil
- Anchovies
- Balsamic vinegar
- Garlic
- Black olives (Nicoise olives)
Alternatives and Options
- This lovely french bean and potato salad is nearly a Nicoise, but without any green leaves.
- Egg salad, and/or tuna salad, and/or potato salad replacing the items themselves (or, even more adventurously, a combination egg and potato salad, dressed with french green beans and grilled tuna.
- Other kinds of fish or shellfish can substitute, when they complement the olive, egg, and potato mainstays. You want a meaty fish that is firm, but not dry, and not overpowering (such as salmon).