Salade Niçoise originated in the French city of Nice sometime in the 19th century. It’s known as "la salada nissarda" in the Niçard dialect of the Occitan language. Between chefs there is much debate over which ingredients should be included. But one thing is certain, the salad is perfect for summer!
Full of colour, full of flavour!
Here at France.fr, we are huge fans of the salade Nicoise. Fresh, simple, and yet filling, it is our go to dish when the sun is (finally) showing up. Either served as a composed salade or as a tossed salade, the salade nicoise has always created controversy regarding its recipe: traditionalists exclude any cooked vegetable, whereas a lot of people like to get more creative with the dish, with for example raw red peppers, shallots, artichoke hearts... We won't tell you how to enjoy your salade nicoise - it is complety up to you. However, we will show you our favourite recipe, but don't hesitate to tweak it to your taste
Ingredients
For the dressing
100ml olive oil 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 50ml white wine vinegar 1 shallot finely chopped
For the salad
200g new potatoes 200g green or yellow beans, topped & tailed 2 cos lettuces, cut into quarters 200g baby red and yellow plum tomatoes 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 100g black olives, pitted 50g capers, rinsed and drained 50g anchovies, diced 4 soft-boiled eggs, peeled 1 tbsp olive oil 4 200g tuna steaks Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Recipe
Dressing: To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a medium size mixing bowl.
Step 1: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the potatoes for around 10-15 minutes until they are tender, then drain and cut them in half. Step 2: Blanch the beans for 5 minutes, then drain and immediately plunge into cold water to refresh. Drain well. Step 3: Mix the potatoes, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, olives, capers and anchovies together in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over and mix. Step 4: Transfer the salad to a large serving bowl. Step 5: For the tuna, heat a griddle pan until hot. Lightly oil the tuna steaks, season with salt and pepper and then cook for 1 minute on each side. Step 6: Remove the tuna from the pan and allow to rest for 1 minute before breaking into chunks. Step 7: Break the eggs in half and tuck into the salad, then top with the tuna and serve.
Time for the degustation
Well done! It's ready for you to enjoy. What are you going to pair it with?
Bon appetit!
By France.fr
The magazine of the destination unravels an unexpected France that revisits tradition and cultivates creativity. A France far beyond what you can imagine…
