Salad Niçoise
Flageolet beans, the "caviar of beans" a staple of French cooking, grape tomatoes, steamed fresh haricot vert (delicate green beans), baby red potatoes, niçoise olives, red onion, hardboiled egg, anchovies, capers, and topped with the seared tuna makes a healthy, beautiful dish perfect for brunch or lunch. It can be served over a lettuce salad (option 1) with pieces of cooked salmon (option 3) or canned tuna (not an option for me). It looks like a lot of ingredients but only a few need cooking. Trust me, it is worth the effort, and will definitely please and impress your diners. Most recipes suggest that this should be served on a platter, off which each person can serve themselves. I favor individually plating for a more appealing presentation.
Ingredients
VINAIGRETTE
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 med shallot - minced
- 1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ lemon - juiced
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon - minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves - minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh basil leaves - minced
- 2 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves - minced
- salt
- freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
SALAD
- 1 lb. sushi-grade tuna
- 4 hardboiled eggs - quartered lengthwise, see note
- 8 baby red or purple potatoes - scrubbed
- 1 qt grape tomatoes - washed well
- 1 small red onion - sliced very thinly (optional)
- 8 fillets anchovies
- 6 oz haricot vert (French green beans) - stem ends trimmed
- ¼ cup niçoise olives
- 2 tablespoon capers or 8 caper berries
- ½ bunch chives
OPTION 1: FLAGEOLET BEANS
- 1 cup flageolet beans
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
- 1 carrot - peeled and finely diced
- 1 parmesan rind - optional
OPTION 2: LETTUCE
- 1 head bibb or butter lettuce - leaves washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
OPTION 3: BAKED SALMON
- 1 lb. salmon fillets - skin on
Instructions
VINAIGRETTE
- Rapidly whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until they emulsify or put them in a mason jar, screw the cap on tight and shake the vinaigrette vigorously to emulsify. Set the dressing aside while preparing the salad so the flavors can marry.
TUNA
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the tuna on all sides with olive oil, and a bit of the vinaigrette, season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot pan and sear for approximately 2 minutes on each side; as the tuna cooks, the red meat will become whiter. Ony let it get white about ¼" in on both sides to leave the center rare. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board and slice across the grain into approximately ½ slices. REMEMBER: Fish continues to cook after it is removed from the heat so err on undercooking.
OPTION 3: SALMON substituted for the tuna
- Preheat oven to 425˚. Rub salmon all over with reserved caper oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet, season with salt and pepper. Roast until medium-rare (fish will be slightly translucent in the center), 10−12 minutes. Let cool and pull into pieces. REMEMBER: Fish continues to cook after it is removed from the heat so err on undercooking.
SALAD
- Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with 3 inches of cold water. Cover the pot and let the beans soak overnight at room temperature.
- Drain the beans. In a large pot, combine the drained beans with chicken stock and 2 cups of water. Add salt, bay leaf, garlic, carrot, and parmesan rind. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Continue to cook until the beans are tender, about 1–2 hours.
- Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.
- This takes a bit of a time commitment but well worth it. These can be made days in advance and kept in a sealed container or storage bag in the refrigerator. Bring back to room temperature to serve.
- Cooking the potatoes, eggs, and green beans in the same pot cuts down on prep time and clean up. To do this, put the potatoes in a large saucepan, add water to cover and a nice pinch of salt; bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer the potatoes for 12 minutes to give them a head start, and then add the eggs. Place a steamer basket or colander on top of the simmering water. Put the green beans in the steamer and cover with a lid. Steam the beans for 5 minutes until crisp-tender while continuing to cook the potatoes until fork tender. Drain out the water and put the potatoes, eggs, and green beans in a colander, rinse briefly under cold water. Peel the shells off the eggs and cut them in ½ lengthwise.
- To assemble the salad: Place a bed of beans on each plate and if using lettuce, add that to the bed around the beans or instead of the beans. Toss the potatoes, haricot vert (green beans), tomatoes and sliced red onions (optional) in about half of the vinaigrette and with tongs divide each of these ingredients into neat, separate pile around the plates. Now, separate the olives, anchovies, capers, and chives into addition small piles on each plate. Re-whisk the vinaigrette or, if using a mason jar, give it another good shake to recombine. Drizzle the salad with the remaining vinaigrette to fully moisten. Lay ¼ of the seared tuna attractively across the top and the eggs on each plate. Serve. The important thing about salad niçoise is that it is arranged nicely with all the elements keeping their individual integrity.
Notes
- Adjust for four eggs - Perfect Easy to Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs | Valerie's Kitchen (fromvalerieskitchen.com)
- Slicer
