There are many variations on the Niçoise salad.
The Niçoise, hailing from the south of France, is a combination of cooked and fresh ingredients that balances vitamin-rich vegetables with healthy proteins such as canned tuna and eggs.
I love my eggs to be molten in the center like lava. As a guide, I place cold extra large eggs in a pot of cold water and turn the heat up to maximum. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, time the eggs for 2 minutes then remove them from the stove. Let them sit in hot water for 1 minute then run them under cold water and peel.
Ingredients:
- 8 new potatoes (about 2" in diameter), scrubbed & washed
- 3/4 lb green beans, trimmed
- 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
- 1 x 185 gram of can tuna in oil, drained
- 1/2 cup of Nicoise or small brine-cured purple olives
- Vinaigrette
- 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp of finely chopped fresh basil
- 5 filets of canned anchovies (optional), roughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp of sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp of egg mayonnaise (optional) to be added at the end
- Serves 2
Preparation:
- Make the dressing by whisking together the vinaigrette ingredients in a mixing bowl. The anchovies and the mayonnaise are optional. If you are using the mayo, add it to the salad at the end.
- Place potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook, uncovered, until tender for about 15-20 minutes. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Once cooled, cut into halves.
- Add a little more warm water to the pot and bring to the boil again. Cook the green beans until crisp yet tender -- about 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately transfer beans with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Now assemble the salad. Place potatoes, beans, olives and tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Pour on the vinaigrette and use tongs to toss the ingredients to coat well. Divide salad into two serving bowls. Top with canned tuna, eggs and a dollop of mayonnaise. Serve.