Ree's Nicoise Salad Is Loaded with Crunchy, Salty Goodness
Nicoise salad is such a stunner of a salad. Believe it or not, there is lettuce beneath that mound of toppings but the toppings are what really make it!
This classic French tuna salad is filled with so many salty, briny, crunchy ingredients that you can add or take away as you please. There are lots of opinions about what goes on a traditional French Nicoise salad, but just play around with what you like best! I added one of my favorite ingredients—pesto—to the dressing for a bright, herby flavor. If you like broccoli more than green beans, use that instead. You could also throw on roasted potatoes rather than boiled ones. Instead of tuna, this salad is also delicious with baked salmon—just flake it into chunks before adding it. This is one of my favorite easy, satisfying, healthy meal ideas. You only have to cook a few ingredients—most of the others come from a jar!
What goes in a Nicoise salad?
I start with a bed of lettuce on a big platter. Then, I arrange every ingredient in tidy little rows or piles across the lettuce. This version has hard-boiled eggs, cooked baby red potatoes, blanched green beans, olives, cucumber, tomato, pickled onion, artichokes, and high-quality jarred or canned tuna. The key is to keep each ingredient grouped together on the platter. Once you're done arranging everything, drizzle the dressing over the whole salad. Then, it's ready to serve!
Can I make a Nicoise salad ahead of time?
Several ingredients in this recipe can be prepped ahead to make salad assembly a breeze. The eggs can be hard boiled up to two days in advance and the potatoes and green beans can be cooked up to one day ahead of time. The dressing will keep for up to three days in the fridge.
Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Ingredients
3/4 lb.
baby red potatoes
Kosher salt
8 oz.
green beans
3 tbsp.
lemon juice
3 tbsp.
prepared pesto
1 tbsp.
honey
1 tbsp.
dijon mustard
1/3 c.
olive oil
1/2 tsp.
black pepper
1/2
head butter lettuce, leaves separated
4
hard-boiled eggs, halved
1 c.
cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c.
jarred grilled artichoke hearts
1/2 c.
pitted Castelvetrano olives
1/3 c.
jarred pickled red onion
1/2
English cucumber, sliced into rounds
1
(7- to 8-oz.) jar good-quality tuna in olive oil, drained (such as Ortiz or Tonnino brands)
2 tbsp.
capers
Fresh basil, for sprinkling
Directions
Add the potatoes to a medium saucepan, and cover with water. Season the water with a good pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, halve, and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, bring a second saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans, and cook for 2 minutes to soften and brighten the color. Remove, and immediately submerge the green beans in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, remove the green beans to a paper towel-lined plate, and set aside.
Make the dressing by adding the lemon juice, pesto, honey, and dijon to a mason jar with a lid. Top with the olive oil, and season with a pinch of salt and the pepper. Secure the lid, and shake until the dressing is combined and emulsified. Set aside.
To assemble the salad, lay the butter lettuce leaves on a platter. Arrange the potatoes, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, artichokes, olives, pickled onions, and cucumber in rows and piles around the platter. Break the tuna into chunks and add it to the platter. Scatter the capers over the platter. Drizzle with a little of the dressing and sprinkle with the basil. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side.
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