Nicoise Salad Recipe

This classic Nicoise salad is light, fresh, and colorful, and the perfect dish to make easy spring or summer lunches or brunch.

If I had to choose one parlor trick recipe I like to pull out of my pocket for entertaining it’s making a platter salad where everyone can serve themselves.

Just like my Ultimate Italian Platter Salad or my Antipasto Salad Platter, this French-style Nicoise salad is perfect for book club, baby showers, wedding showers, ladies who lunch, or anyone who loves brunch. That’s because it’s light and healthy, simple to put together or be prepped ahead of serving, and makes for a help-yourself meal for everyone to dig into.

Nicoise is French for a salad that originated in the coastal city of Nice, located on the French Riviera. Nicoise is pronounced “nee-swaaz.”

A classic Nicoise salad is comprised of tuna, tomatoes, potatoes, hard-boiled egg, green beans, olives, capers, and onion.

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Classic Nicoise Salad

Prep: 0 45min0

Total: 0 55min0

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1 of 4 servings

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 of 4 servings, calories 746, Fat 54g, Saturated Fat 9g, Carbohydrate 31g, Fiber 7g, Sugar 5g, Protein 34g, Cholesterol 200mg, Sodium 1134mg

Ingredients:

• 1 pound red-skinned potatoes, sliced 1/3 inch thick
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 10 ounces haricots verts or thin green beans, trimmed
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 cherry tomatoes or small cocktail tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 head Boston lettuce, leaves separated
• 6 radishes, trimmed and quartered
• 2 5 1/2-ounce cans Italian or Spanish tuna packed in olive oil, drained
• 1/2 cup nicoise olives

Instruction:

1. Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with cold water and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl; drizzle with the wine and let cool. Reserve the saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, bring a separate saucepan of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with salted ice water. Add the haricots verts to the boiling water; cook until crisp-tender and bright green, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to cool; drain and pat dry.
3. Place the eggs in the reserved saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from the heat and let stand, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, then run under cold water to cool. Peel under cold running water.
4. Make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, shallot, mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.
5. Toss the tomatoes ian a small bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Add about 1/4 cup dressing to the potatoes and toss. Quarter the hard-cooked eggs.
6. Divide the lettuce among 4 plates. Arrange the potatoes, haricots verts, radishes, hard-cooked eggs and tuna on top. Pour any juices from the tomatoes into the dressing, then add the tomatoes to the plates. Drizzle with the dressing and top with the olives.

Nicoise Salad

This Niçoise salad recipe is a perfect summer lunch! I love to enjoy this recipe as a composed salad without greens, but you could serve it over a bed of arugula or mixed greens if you prefer.

Prep: 30min

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces small yellow or red potatoes
• 4 ounces fresh green beans (trimmed)
• ¾ cooked white beans (drained and rinsed)
• 3 hard boiled eggs (halved)
• 4 artichoke hearts (drained and halved)
• 1 cup quartered radishes and/or sliced cucumber
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
• ½ cup Niçoise or Kalamata olives (pitted and halved)
• 2 tablespoons capers (drained)
• Lemon Vinaigrette (for drizzling)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instruction:

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until fork-tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and when cool enough to handle, slice in half or quarters.
2. Refill the pot with water, bring it to a boil, and set a bowl of ice water nearby. Drop the green beans into the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and immediately immerse in the ice water. After 1 minute, drain and place on a kitchen towel to dry.
3. Assemble salad with the potatoes, green beans, white beans, eggs, artichokes, radishes, tomatoes, olives, and capers. Drizzle generously with the lemon vinaigrette. Sprinkle with parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

THE BEST Nicoise Salad

This classic Nicoise salad is light, fresh, and colorful, and the perfect dish to make easy spring or summer lunches or brunch.

Prep: 20min

Total: 40min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 311 kcal, Carbohydrate 22 g, Protein 12 g, Fat 21 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 129 mg, Sodium 1250 mg, Fiber 5 g, Sugar 4 g, unSaturated Fat 16 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups petite white or red potatoes
• 6 ounces fresh green beans (, stems trimmed)
• 3 ounces white tuna in olive oil (, drained)
• 5 ounces kalamata olives (, about 1 cup, drained)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 4 ounces capers (, about 1/3 heaping cup, drained)
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes (, about 1 1/2 cups, sliced in half)
• 4 hard-boiled eggs (, halved or quartered)

Instruction:

1. First, make the vinaigrette by adding all of the ingredients to a jar fitted with a lid, close tightly, shake well, and set aside.
2. Add the potatoes to a medium pot and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch then bring to a boil. Add 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt, reduce to a rolling simmer, and cook until tender so the potatoes can be pierced with a fork or skewer or for about 15 minutes. Use a spider or strainer to transfer the potatoes from the pot, reserving the hot water. Cut the potatoes in half and place in a bowl then while still warm, drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette dressing and set aside to cool.
3. Add the green beans to the pot of hot water and simmer for 1 minute or until the green beans turn bright green. Drain the water and set the beans aside to cool.
4. On a large platter, arrange the tuna, potatoes, green beans, halved tomatoes, boiled eggs, olives, red onion, capers, and hard-boiled eggs. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette or serve it on the side.

Gordon Ramsay’s Tuna Nicoise Salad

FAQ

What are the ingredients of classic Nicoise salad?

• 4 eggs.
• 100g new potatoes.
• 100g green beans, trimmed, halved.
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar.
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard.
• 2 garlic cloves, finely.
• Pinch of caster sugar.
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil.

What is Nicoise salad dressing made of?

1. 3 tablespoons lemon juice.
2. 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard.
3. 1 small garlic clove, minced.
4. 6 tablespoons olive oil.
5. ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
6. Serve with: Classic Nicoise Salad.

What are the best olives for Nicoise salad?

What does Niçoise mean in French?