This salad always reminds me of a fabulous weekend break in Nice where my boyfriend (now husband) and I enjoyed a fabulous Salad Nicoise in the city's old town.
It's a delicious salad that is said to have actually originated in Nice, and even took it's name from this beautiful city.
It was traditionally a simple salad of tomatoes, tuna and/or anchovies, hard boiled eggs and olive oil. Today steamed green beans and cooked potatoes are often included as well, along with a dressing of vinaigrette.
My version sometimes includes potatoes, if I want a more substantial salad, but I also love to include steamed fine green beans, olives and capers.
Although I often make it with tinned tuna, this version with tuna steak, is a delicious and more substantial alternative.
Serves 2 as a main
For the salad
Bag of mixed green salad
3 eggs
6-9 small waxy potatoes or Jersey Royals
Handful of cherry tomatoes
Handful of fine green beans
Handful of small black olives
Handful of nonpareille capers (or regular capers)
Olive oil
One tuna steak per person (ideally a 2cm thickness)
For the French vinaigrette dressing
1 small shallot
6 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove
Seasoning
To make the dressing
- Peel and finely dice the shallot.
- Peel and finely grate the garlic clove.
- Place all of the dressing ingredients in a small jug or lidded jar and stir or shake well until the dressing has emulsified.
To make the salad
- Place the eggs in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. Remove from the water and place in a bowl of cold water.
- Top and tail the green beans.
- Depending on the size of the potatoes, keep whole or halve (quarter).
- Steam the potatoes for 25 minutes and the green beans for 6-8 minutes (until tender).
- Immediately place the drained green beans into a bowl of iced cold water, to help them retain their colour.
- Let the potatoes cool, and then remove the skins if preferred.
- Remove the shells from the eggs (its generally easy under a running water) and cut into halves or quarters.
- Slice the tomatoes in half.
- Place the salad leaves in the salad bowls or plates and top with the remaining ingredients.
To cook the tuna steaks
- Remove the tuna from the fridge and rub a little olive oil and seasoning into each side of the steaks.
- Drizzle a little olive oil into a frying pan over a medium heat.
- Once the pan is nice and hot, add the tuna steaks and leave for 1½-2 minutes, then carefully turn over and cook for a further 1½-2 minutes. (The steaks should still be pink in the middle at this stage, if you want, you can cook them for a little longer, but be careful not to overcook them, or they take on the texture of cardboard!).
Top the salad with the steak, drizzle over some of the lovely dressing and serve.
