Salade niçoise is a recipe for freshness: lightly dressed vegetables beefed up with tuna and boiled eggs … and of course loaded with Niçoise olives.
Salade niçoise
Course: Dinner4
dinner-sized servingsIngredients
- Prep:
2-4 eggs
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed
3/4 lb. small new (red-skinned) potatoes, cut in half or quartered
2 Tbs dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
- For the dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 tsp sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp dried tarragon, crushed
1/8 tsp dry mustard
Dash of pepper
- For the salad:
2 small heads of Boston lettuce
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 can (9.25-oz.) Italian or Spanish chunk white tuna (oil-packed preferred), drained and broken into large chunks
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
6 radishes, trimmed and quartered
4 cups seedless cucumbers
Pepperoncini
Cornichon
1/2 cup pitted niçoise (or ripe) olives
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (from 2 green onions)
Capers
4 anchovy fillets, drained, rinsed, and patted dry (optional)
Fresh chervil (optional)
Flaked sea salt
Directions
- Prep: Place the eggs into an Instant Pot, on the steam rack. Add 1½ cups water. Set the pot to PRESSURE COOK, high (pressure), less (3 minutes). Natural release for 5 minutes. Use the steam rack to move the beans to the sink, and soak the eggs in cold water until they’re cool enough to handle, then peel under cool, running water. Place them in a paper-towel-lined, covered container and refrigerate.
- Place the beans into the Instant Pot, on the steam rack. The water that’s still in the pot – which you used for the eggs – will be just fine if you re-use it for the beans. Set the pot to STEAM, low (pressure), less (0 minutes). Quick release. Use the steam rack to move the beans to the sink, add a handful of ice, and soak them in the cold water that’s still there from the egg soak, and let them bathe until they’re cool enough to handle. Place them in a paper-towel-lined, covered container and refrigerate.
- Place the potatoes into the Instant Pot, on the steam rack. The water that’s still in the pot – which you used for the eggs and the beans – will be just fine if you re-use it for the potatoes. Set the pot to STEAM, low (pressure), normal (5-6 minutes). Quick release. Strain the potatoes, and then place them in a container. Drizzle with wine and reason lightly; cover with a tight-fitting lid. Shake the container for several seconds; turn it over and shake again. Do this a couple times in an effort to distribute the wine to all the potatoes. Refrigerate. Chill eggs, beans, and potatoes for 2 to 24 hours.
- Make the dressing: in a screw-top jar combine oil, vinegar, (sugar), tarragon, dry mustard, and pepper. Cover and shake well.
- Serve the salad: remove and discard the core from the lettuce head. Quarter the heads and cut the quarters into large, manageable pieces. Toss with basil. Divide among plates. Arrange chilled vegetables and eggs, tuna, tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, pepperoncini, (pickles), and olives atop the lettuce. Sprinkle each serving with green onions (and capers). If desired, top each salad with an anchovy fillet (and garnish with chervil and salt). Shake dressing well; pour some over each salad.
Notes
- Substitutions: extra-dry vermouth for the potatoes’ white wine, white vinegar for white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon snipped fresh tarragon for the dried, Bibb for the Boston, 1/2 lb. flaked cooked tuna or salmon for the canned tuna.
- I developed this recipe for a six-quart Instant Pot. If using a different size or type of pot, you may need to make modifications.
Social Learning
Economies of scale: of course you should boil more eggs than you need, because they make great snacks, and need I mention egg salad sandwiches? And of course make extra beans too, because they’re nice to have around. I love to pack them in my lunch and eat them cold with a dipping sauce.
The potatoes should be at the most, ping-pong-ball-sized. If they’re smaller, don’t cut them in half. If they’re larger, definitely quarter them. Five minutes in the Instant Pot will leave them perfectly done, but still firm. An extra minute will make them softer. There’s something about what the wine does to the potatoes that is pretty amazing. I’m not so sure that it flavors them as much as it makes them them more delicious and less overwhelmingly starchy when cold. Maybe I’m crazy, but that’s how it seems.
You can crush the tarragon between your fingers, but I like to grind it almost to a powder with a mortar and pestle.
It really does make a difference to use imported Spanish or Italian tuna. They’re better than American brands. American tuna is fine if you’re making tuna salad on tuna casserole, but for something like this, a really good tuna is essential. I would add other tunas to the “good” list, such as French, but where I live, you can mainly find Italian and Spanish – and that’s only if you’re lucky.
Instant Pot
Do I understand all my Instant Pot buttons? No. Have I looked for explanations, yet haven’t found any that seem satisfactory? Yes. Here’s what I suspect, though: aside from special functions, like “yogurt,” and “sauté,” you’re basically doing only two things: pressure (for which you have only two choices: high or low) and time. The presets seem to be nothing more than memory functions. So, for instance, when I choose “soup/broth,” it recalls my last pressure and time settings for that “function.” And in fact, I have the opportunity to store three settings for “soup/broth” or most other “functions:” one for less time, one for “normal” time, and one for more time.
Here’s one thing I’d like to see change on the Instant Pot: a natural release alarm. As you know if you use the IP, it has a countdown timer that starts as soon as cooking finishes. I wish you could say, “As soon as five minutes have passed, sound an alarm so that I can hit the quick release.” So hey, Instant Pot, if you read this, please develop that function and then send me a free pot so that I can review it for you.
Niçoise
Salade niçoise has a long history, and many people feel strongly about it’s particular ingredients. Many purists, for instance, don’t feel that any cooked ingredients belong in a Salade niçoise. But since this blog is for people who make food at home, I say do what you want. Having said that, it does seem to me that niçoise olives are important … but they can be hard to find. Any dark, brined olive is a good substitute. I found pitted Coquillo olives at Whole Foods, and they worked well.
The Backstory
This is a great salad, full of fresh and flavorful ingredients. The flavors don’t really meld. I mean, I guess they do to some extent, but on the whole, you really taste the ingredients separately, which is really refreshing. I will say that I’ve been making a lot of salads lately, and this one is good, but it’s not my favorite. May it needs a fancier dressing?
This salad is often served in a composed fashion, and as such, it can make a spectacular presentation – arranged family-style on a platter, all the more so. So, I’d consider it for guests.
At least in my experience, this is the kind of salad you have as a main course. This recipe will produce four massive servings. If I were eating more reasonably, I’d get eight servings out of it, and still call them meal-sized.
Salade niçoise
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thank you, Kesor. References: “Salad Niçoise,” in Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. (Des Moines, IA: BHG, 1996), 426. Appetit, Food Network, NYT, Rose Hoberman. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #13 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.
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When done right, salade nicoise is one of my favorite dishes. And I can tell that your version is perfect. I’m going to forward your recipe to my wife, who cooks many times better than me.
Hope the two of you enjoy it!
Can’t remember when I last made or had a salade niçoise. I love tuna, anchovy, eggs and olives…should make some soon.
You should!
It is definitely a Salade Niçoise season — and yours is beautiful. Oh, all the stupid arguments over potatoes vs. no potatoes, etc. I am with you all the way — make it how you like. I love tarragon in the dressing, too. Nice!
Thanks, David!
You have prepared a plate that not only looks good, but I’m sure it was a culinary delight.
Thank you, Judy!
I love this type of salad . We add some boiled potato to it too. You salad looks very appealing.
Thanks, Judee!
As soon as your post popped into my inbox, it brought back a funny and tasty memory. The first time I ever saw salade niçoise on a menu (or anywhere) was in 1979. I was in Paris on my first international business trip and found a quaint sidewalk cafe just outside my hotel for a late lunch. The menu was in French (of course) and the waiter didn’t speak English. The only thing I recognized on the menu was the word salade, so I order the salade niçoise. Boy was I surprised when the lovely deconstructed tuna salad arrived. I’ve been enjoying various versions of the dish ever since. You’ve honored this dish well in my humble opinion…
Thanks so much, Ron – and what a great introduction to this salad!
Ottima per la stagione, mi piace molto!!!!
Yes, it’s perfect for warm weather and lighter but still filling meals.
This is one of my favourite summer salads. We make it with different proteins, Italian canned tuna, seared fresh tuna or even salmon! Still have to try doing the eggs in the instant pot, we have an induction stove so it would likely only save two minutes. What I love about this salad is that you get a different flavour combination with every forkfull.
Love your synopses of the functions, I really only use about four: sauté, pressure cook, slow cook and airfry!
Thanks, Eva!
Tu ensalada Niçoise me parece perfecta para una cena, fresca, muy completa y satisfactoria, ideal para los primeros calores que ya empiezan por aquí.
Thanks so much! I couldn’t agree more.
I agree. You must always boil more eggs than necessary. It seems like the eggs are always the first things to disappear at our gatherings. The salad sound scrumptious. I’ve switched to eating more greens now that the weather is hot, so I can’t wait to make this recipe!
Thanks, Theresa.
Like many other people from the comment section, I love Salade niçoise, too! But I just realized that I haven’t made it for a few years. Shame on me, I’ll need to catch up on some 🙂
🙂
There’s often no better recipe in summer than a good salade nicoise Jeff! It’s just so refreshing and I love to sit and eat it in the garden whilst I can and the weather here is good.
Agreed!
Perfection!!! I ate this so many times when we visited France years ago…and you’ve given me a huge craving for it again. And I’m envious of your tomatoes!! Hoping I’ll get some good ones at the farmers’ market soon.
Thanks, Liz!
My favorite! Your version looks fantastic and so true that we call all make this “our own” by using more or less or diff versions of ingredients. I usually use Kalamatas becasue I have them on hand, and I especially love this in the middle of summer when tomatoes are peak season. Beautiful! 🙂 ~Valentina
Thanks, Valentina!
I think a salade niçoise is a great summer salad when ripe tomatoes and fresh green beans are available. I’m with you about potatoes and yours cooked with the wine sound like something I must try.
Thanks, Karen!
This Salade Niçoise recipe from Make It Like a Man sounds absolutely amazing! The combination of fresh ingredients such as tuna, green beans, tomatoes, and olives creates a flavorful and satisfying salad. The presentation is visually appealing, with the vibrant colors of the ingredients beautifully arranged on a plate. The preparation process appears to showcase the harmonious blend of flavors and textures, making it a perfect choice for a refreshing and healthy meal. It’s a recipe that captures the essence of the classic French salad and promises a delightful dining experience. Perfect for those seeking a taste of the Mediterranean in a simple and delicious salad!
Thanks!