As with everything considered a classic, there are a lot of variations on a proper ‘Salade Niçoise’.
Some have radishes; some bell peppers; some, like mine, have potatoes and green beans.
All have olives and hard boiled eggs and tomatoes.
All are on a bed of lettuce.
Most have canned tuna; some have anchovies; some have both.
Only trendy restaurants (in the U.S.) have fresh, seared tuna….
Purists have a premium canned tuna.
What is always true is that Salade Niçoise is summer salad, served at sidewalk cafes all
over France for lunch and light suppers.
Pour a glass of Rosé, settle into your chair, and enjoy… Maybe while watching the sun set.
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Salade Niçoise often includes anchovies and tiny Niçoise olives as well – with the pits. It’s always served with a fresh baguette.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 6oz (180gr) green beans, cut in half
- 2 medium potatoes, about 10oz (300gr), cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup (3oz, 90gr) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 9oz (270gr) good canned tuna, drained
- 2 eggs, hard boiled, quartered lengthwise
- Lettuce for 2 main meal salads
- Tarragon Vinaigrette:
- 4 tbs salad olive oil
- 3 tbs tarragon white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
- 1 tbs snipped fresh tarragon
- 1 tbs snipped fresh chives
Instructions
- Put potatoes in a steamer basket in large pan with an inch of water in the bottom.
- Cover the pan and put on medium-high heat.
- When beans are ready put on top of potatoes.
- Turn heat to medium and steam 10 – 15 minutes or until just barely done. Test after 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
- Vinaigrette:
- Whisk vinegar and mustard.
- Slowly whisk in oil and whisk until it emulsifies.
- Add tarragon and chives to vinaigrette, whisking to combine.
- To finish:
- Put lettuce into a large, flattish salad bowl and toss with half of the vinaigrette.
- Arrange the beans, potatoes, tomatoes, tuna and egg on lettuce, either in rows or in pie-shape sections.
- Drizzle with a little vinaigrette.
- Serve with remaining vinaigrette on the side.
Notes
Cut the potatoes and start to steam giving them a bit of a head start. Then do the beans and put on top. After 10 minutes taste to check if they are done. If not, check again every 2 minutes until done. You can substitute 1 tsp dried herbs for the fresh.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 recipe
- Calories: 728
- Sugar: 10.8 g
- Sodium: 740.9 mg
- Fat: 38.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52.7 g
- Fiber: 14.6 g
- Protein: 46 g
- Cholesterol: 240.1 mg
Keywords: Salade Niçoise, summer salads, tuna
A few springs ago I was photoing all of our spring wildflowers, including this jack-in-the-pulpit.
They are all around in the spring and I had never really paid attention to them…. Just another annoying weed.
Then I learned that they’re a protected wildflower.
They’re interesting in the spring but, for me, they are gorgeous when they ‘go to seed’ in the summer.
I am rather partial to bright colors….
I have no dappled shade here to grow them, but at our last house, we backed to a nature preserve and the Jack In The Pulpit, along with the MayApples and Trillium as well as a few other wildflowers were beyond abundant. They completely carpeted the floor of the preserve. It was wonderful And yes, they’re protected here as well. I think they’re beautiful.
I’ve never done potatoes or green beans in this salad, but this looks really good! I’ll definitely have to try this. Usually when I mix green beans and potatoes, it’s to satisfy hubs’s craving for his mother’s side dish. Hot green beans mixed with hot potatoes, butter and a little onion. So this will be a nice change 🙂
I had hot green beans to hot German Potato Salad – and bacon, of course. Must make that if I ever get some green beans. Everything is so late this year in my garden.
Who told you the wild arum was protected? I’ve checked both Tela Botanica and INPN and neither lists Arum italicum as protected anywhere in France. Not that I’m advocating wholesale destruction of the plant, but it is not currently at risk and in need of protection.
I should have been more clear – I was remembering them from my childhood in the US.
daysontheclaise, that’s not an arum. It’s an Arisaema triphylum and in many areas, due to herbicides and other problems, they’ve become a protected species. It’s also poisonous.
The plant in Katie’s picture is Arum italicum, abundant and native all over France in the wild. Arisaema triphylum is native to North America. I’ve never seen one in real life, but to be honest, the pictures on the internet of it don’t look similar enough for the two plants to be easily mistaken…If A. triphylum occurs in France in the wild then it would be considered an alien, and definitely not protected.
I just enjoy all the flowers, wild or otherwise. I don’t plant any as I only intentionally grow food so I just look and appreciate and don’t destroy 😉
I know white arum lilies but don’t know this one esp by such a cute name…not maybe a species found in Australia
They’re prettiest when they go to seed lol