This classic salad from the city of Nice in the south of France combines the strong flavors of olives and tuna with lettuce, tomato, and hard-boiled egg. Most American versions also include potatoes and green beans, as I do here. A Niçoise Salad can be a complete Mediterranean meal. Plus, it’s super delicious.

You can blanch the green beans in advance to save time. Instead of hard-boiled eggs, I like to make 7-minute eggs. I put the eggs in a pot of water, bring it to a boil, then turn off the heat, and let rest for 7 minutes. If you want hard-boiled eggs, leave them sit in the hot water for 10-15 minutes.

This recipe appears in my cookbook, The Big Book of Mediterranean Diet Cooking. In the book it serves four. In this version, I show you how to make it for two people. Here we go:

Niçoise Salad

Niçoise Salad

Donna
A classic Mediterranean salad from Nice, France.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Course Lunch, Salad
Cuisine French
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 1 red potato cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 4 tbsp white wine vinegar divided
  • 4 ounces green beans trimmed
  • 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 head butter lettuce chopped
  • 1 5-oz can tuna in olive oil drained
  • 1/4 cup Niçoise olives pitted
  • 1 tomato chopped
  • 2 scallions chopped
  • 2 large hard-boiled eggs cut in half

Instructions
 

  • Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil. Add chopped potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Drain. Sprinkle potatoes with 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Let sit.
  • Bring a saucepan of water to boil, add green beans, and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
  • In a small glass jar, combine olive oil, remaining 3 tablespoons of vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper. Put lid on jar, and shake well to mix.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add lettuce, tuna, olives, tomato, and scallion. Pour over half the vinaigrette, and toss to coat.
  • Arrange lettuce mixture onto plates. Divide the potates, green beans, and egg onto each plate. Pour over the remaining dressing.

Video

Notes

You can substitute anchovies for the tuna, if preferred.
Keyword salad

Niçoise Salad

Niçoise Salad close-up

Niçoise Salad with The Big Book of Mediterranean Diet Cooking