A nicoise salad has the ring of something fancy dancy. Maybe something really challenging to make. But, hold on to your seat because this salad is one of the easiest ever. And, you'll dazzle those you serve it to with it's colorful beauty and delicious flavors! The hardest thing about making a nicoise salad, well, at least for me, is sounding French enough in my pronunciation of 'nicoise' For some reason my West Virginia twang and Southern drawl kind of fracture the word!
Tell Me About This Salad
The nicoise salad is all about fresh ingredients from the market. Add to them some seasonings and your palate will be perfectly delighted.
Originating in the sunny city of Nice in Provence, there's very little cooking involved making it perfect for beginning cooks. Therefore, lots of raw vegetables are used, however, some can be cooked like I've done here with the fingerling potatoes. Interestingly, the nicoise salad has a very Mediterranean spin to it making it cross borders and provide immense tastiness!
Because there are so many variations of this salad, the salad itself is more of a category rather than a defined salad that doesn't change. So, don't hold tight to my recipe, create your own array of healthy ingredients on a large platter.
Actually, the iconic Julia Childs had an impact on nicoise salad. As Cooks Info explains, Julia Child insisted on green beans and tomatoes in the recipe, and on lining the bowl with lettuce. She also insisted that each ingredient be tossed in the dressing separately, and then assembled, rather than combining everything and then tossing. "I've seen people swish everything together," she said. "And it just looks like hell." [1]
Ingredients
- 3 cups fingerling potatoes, sliced lengthwise in halves
- 1/3 cup+ 2 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 Tbl. red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp. garlic paste
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. anchovy paste
- 1 tsp. coarse ground pepper
- 3 cans albacore tuna, packed in water, drained
- 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted
- 1 ½ cups mini cucumbers, sliced
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
- 1 cup red onions, half-moon thin slices
- 3 cups greens, packed, spinach, arugula, or baby bok choy leaves, etc.
- 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced in four to five rings each
Instructions
Notes
