Classic French Niçoise Salad with Tuna

This Classic French Niçoise Salad with Tuna  (salade Niçoise) is a traditional dish originally from Nice, in the region of Provence, on France’s Mediterranean coast.

This salad makes a delicious light lunch, or, an entire meal and requires only a minimum amount of time to prep its components.  A bright, lemony dressing can be made ahead of time and brings everything together.  Although it is clearly a warmer weather salad, it can be enjoyed year-round!

As it is often the case with traditional, regional recipes, there are some general guidelines as to what goes into it, but the beauty of this salad is that it is highly customizable to fit your individual preferences.

Ingredients for the Classic Niçoise Salad with Tuna

Here is a list of what goes into this delicious Niçoise salad:

• Baby potatoes – boiled and cut into slices.  I used small Yukon Gold potatoes, but you could also use multicolored small potatoes or even Fingerling potatoes
• Boiled Eggs – medium or hard boiled (according to your preference) and halved
• Tuna in olive oil – good quality solid tune in a can (do not use tuna packed in water as it is not as flavorful). Tuna is an important component of this recipe, so it is worth sourcing the best quality canned tuna which you can find
• Black Olives – traditionally, tiny Nicoise olives (with their pits) are used for this salad, but I prefer the meatier Kalamata olives
• Fresh Beans – are a must for this salad (you can substitute for good quality frozen haricot verts beans, if you are making this out of season)
• Tomatoes – I like small, cherry tomatoes, which are sweeter when tomatoes are not yet in season, but ripe tomatoes cut in bite- sized pieces at summer time are excellent
• Lettuce – I used Butter Leaf lettuce, but Little Gem lettuce leaves can be used as well
• Artichoke hearts – this is optional, you can added them if you like them as they give another layer of flavor to the salad
• Red pepper ribbons – raw or lightly sautéed, this is optional as well
• Cheese bites – this is not a traditional ingredient, but I added some ciliegini balls because I love cheese 🙂
• Lemon Dressing – made with good extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, a bit of mustard

Favorite additions and Substitutions

Besides the traditional main ingredients listed above, the French also like to add sliced radishes, red onion ribbons, capers and cucumbers to their Niçoise salad. These are all great additions; if you like their taste, by all means use them!

Instead of tuna, anchovies packed in olive oil can be substituted which are then scattered around the salad.  If you like the stronger flavor of anchovies, substitute the tuna for an 8:10 ratio of deboned fillets of anchovies

How to make the Niçoise Salad

1. Cook the potatoes:  place the potatoes whole with their skins on in a pot and cook until tender.  Remove from the pot and let them cool before slicing
2. Boil the eggs:  in a small saucepan, bring some water to a boil and carefully lower the (still-cold-from-the-refrigerator) eggs with a slotted spoon.  Reduce the heat to a gentle boil, start the timer and cook the eggs for about 7-8 minutes for soft boiled or, 10 minutes for hard-boiled.  Transfer the eggs immediately to an ice bath to stop the boiling.  Peel them under water and cut them in halves
3. Make the dressing:  while the potatoes and the eggs are cooking, make the simple lemon dressing by placing all ingredients in a small jar.  Shake it until well emulsified
4. Blanch the green beans:  in boiling water until just tender, or, according to your liking.  Drain and place the beans under cold running water to cool fast and retain their color, then drain again and pat dry
5. Sauté the peppers:  cut the peppers into ribbons and sauté them in olive oil for a few minutes until soft
6. Assemble the salad:  arrange the torn lettuce leaves on a large round or oval platter.  Place the rest of the ingredients in small clusters on top of the lettuce and drizzle all components with the dressing
7. Serve:  pass the plate around the table, allowing everybody to take a little of what they want

Classic French Nicoise Salad with Tuna

 

Save Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

A delicious and super flavorful salad of tuna, vegetables and a lemony dressing - a traditional recipe from Provence, France.

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: French

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed
• 3 large eggs, boiled and halved
• 6-8 small potatoes, boiled and cut into slices (if you use bigger potatoes, cut them into chunks)
• ½ red Bell pepper, cut into ribbons
• 1 can (10 oz.) of good quality tuna, preserved in olive oil, drained and separated into chunks
• 6 large leaves of Butter lettuce, torn in smaller pieces
• 12 small cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup black olives, packed in olive oil, pitted
• 4 small artichoke hearts, unseasoned, cut into halves or wedges
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 TBSP. fresh lemon juice
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
• ¼ tsp. dried Greek oregano
• 1-2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, grated or minced

Instructions

1. Cook the potatoes: place the potatoes whole with their skin on in a pot and cook until tender. Remove from the pot and let them cool before slicing
2. Boil the eggs: in a small saucepan, bring some water to a boil and carefully lower the (still-cold from the refrigerator) eggs with a slotted spoon. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil, start the timer and cook the eggs for about 7-8 minutes for soft boiled or, 10 minutes for hard-boiled. Transfer to an ice bath to stop the boiling. Peel under water and cut in half
3. Make the dressing: while the potatoes and the eggs are cooking, make the lemon dressing by placing all ingredients in a small jar. Shake it well until all ingredients are incorporated. Taste it and adjust the seasoning (it will make a little more than you need in this recipe - save it to use in another salad or over roasted vegetables)
4. Blanch the green beans: in boiling water until tender or, according to your liking. Drain and place under cold running water to cool fast and retain their color, then drain again and pat dry
5. Sauté the peppers: cut the pepper into ribbons and sauté in olive oil for a few minutes until soft
6. Assemble the salad: arrange the torn lettuce leaves on a large round or oval platter. Place the rest of the ingredients in small clusters on top of the lettuce and drizzle with the dressing (this salad is traditionally not served tossed, instead, the ingredients are just grouped together)
7. Serve: pass the plate around the table, allowing everybody to take a little of what they want. Fresh, crusty bread is a must with this salad!

3.5.3240