Salad Niçoise is a classic French dish known equally for both its beautiful presentation and its complex combination of flavors and textures. Versions of this masterpiece have been around for over a hundred years, but there are some classic ingredients that many chefs worldwide consider a must have for a true niçoise…
Salmon or tuna, fresh green beans, roasted potatoes and, of course, niçoise olives are just a few of the classics, but this salad is really about combining fresh ingredients with contrasting flavors and textures to create sheer salad perfection.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering 8 ounces of salmon or tuna, 4 large eggs, 8 ounces of baby purple potatoes, 5 ounces of heirloom tomatoes, 1/3 cup of pickled red onions, 1/3 pound of fresh green beans, 4 ounces of niçoise olives (or kalamata olives), 2 tablespoons of capers and 2 cups of baby arugula.
Now find your favorite seasoning blend, some olive oil and preheat your oven to 400 degrees, so we can put this beauty together!
Wash and dry 8 ounces of baby purple potatoes and cut them into bite size pieces. Transfer the potatoes onto a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil and generously season them with your favorite seasoned salt or spice blend. Roast the potatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until they are tender.
While the potatoes are roasting, pat 8 ounces of salmon dry with a paper towel and generously season with your favorite seasoned salt or spice blend. I highly recommend using Lawry’s seasoned salt on salmon… it’s a fabulous seasoning for fish.
Place a skillet over medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Once the skillet is warm, place the salmon flesh side down into the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes undisturbed. This will give the salmon time to form a nice crisp crust before flipping. Gently flip the salmon and cook to your desired level of doneness.
Add 4 large eggs into a medium saucepan and then add enough cool water to cover the eggs. Place the saucepan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. As soon as the water is boiling, turn the heat off, but leave the saucepan on the burner. Cover the saucepan and let the eggs sit for 6-8 minutes. Cooking the eggs for 6 minutes will give you a softer, more jammy egg yolk and leaving them in for 8 minutes will set the yolk a bit more. Once they are done, transfer the eggs into a bowl of ice water and set them aside for now.
Once the baby potatoes are tender, I like to transfer them into a mixing bowl and sprinkle some grated parmesan, garlic salt and finely chopped parsley over them while they are still hot. This is optional, but delicious.
In regards to the green beans, you have several options. If you have really fresh ones, I would serve them raw, but if you prefer to cook them, you can place them on the baking sheet with the baby potatoes to roast them or you can quickly blanch them in the same saucepan that you boiled your eggs in. If you blanch them, be sure to place them into some ice water after the blanching to prevent them from over cooking and becoming mushy.
Once the potatoes are roasted, the eggs are soft boiled, the salmon is cooked and the green beans are blanched, we are ready to assemble this gorgeous salad.
Salad Niçoise is typically served family style and the ingredients are piled together, instead of mixing them as you would in most other salads. This allows everyone to easily see their options and only take a bit of what they want.
Spread a thin layer of baby arugula over a large serving platter. Pile the green beans and roasted potatoes along opposite sides of the platter. Remove the salmons skin and flake it into a pile on one end of the platter. Peel and slice the soft boiled eggs and place them toward the center of the platter.
In the remaining spaces, add the heirloom tomatoes, pickled red onions, olives and capers.
Isn’t this a beautiful platter? You can sprinkle some fresh parsley, salt and black pepper over the entire dish and serve oil and vinegar or some lemon vinaigrette along side.
This classic French salad is hearty, beautiful and full of options that everyone will love.
Buon Appetite!
Salad Niçoise
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of salmon
- 4 large eggs, soft boiled
- 8 ounces of baby purple potatoes
- 5 ounces of heirloom tomatoes
- 1/3 cup of pickled red onions
- 6 ounces of fresh green beans, trimmed
- 4 ounces of niçoise olives (or substitute with kalamata olives)
- 2 tablespoons of capers, drained
- 3 cups of baby arugula
- olive oil
- your favorite seasoned salt or spice blend
- salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup lemon vinaigrette (optional)
- fresh parsley, finely chopped (garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Slice the purple potatoes into bite sized cubes and place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet
- Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and season generously with seasoned salt
- Roast the potatoes for 20-25 minutes in a 400 degree oven or until tender
- Pat your salmon filets dry with paper towels and then season generously with seasoned salt
- Place a skillet over medium heat, add a splash of olive oil and place the seasoned salmon flesh side down into the skillet
- Cook the salmon for 3-4 minutes or until the flesh side forms a nice crust and then gently flip the salmon and cook to your desired level of doneness
- Add 4 large eggs into a saucepan and cover with cold water
- Bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the saucepan and let the eggs sit on the burner for 6 minutes
- After 6 minutes, transfer the eggs into a bowl of ice water to cool
- Assemble the salad artistically or toss all of the ingredients together in a large bowl
- Sprinkle lightly with salt. black pepper and some finely chopped fresh parsley
- Serve warm or at room temperature
