SALADE NIÇOISE
Welcome to 19th Century!….1903 to be exact.
From the south of this seaside city of France, salade Niçoise [nee’swaz] is definitely a summer dish. Over a 100 years old! If you’re in Nice, you cannot avoid it, Ratatouille included trust me, i live there for a year. What I love about it is the contrast of all the vegetables, protein packed and so delicious. It is very important that you have a good quality anchovy. The one i’m using is an anchovy from Morocco, one of my favorite. Remember it’s a composed salad so do not toss…..You can but it’s going to be a big mess.
What you need
Vinaigrette
2 Tablespoon of lemon juice
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Teaspoon of water
Fleur de sel or flaky salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Salad
1 lbs Tuna, cooked, cut into 2-inch thick slices
4 hard-boiled Free-range eggs, halved lengthwise
8-10 Petite potatoes
2 medium heads Boston lettuce or crisp lettuce, rinse, dried.
8 Heirloom tomatoes, cut in half
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 Red bell pepper, julienned
10 oz Haricots verts, (French beans) ends trimmed
1 small Persian cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
20 Moroccan Brine-cured black olives
Handful of French Feta
10 White anchovy fillets
“It must be the finest summer salad of all”.
– Gordon Ramsey
How to make it
We gonna start by making the vinaigrette. Put all vinaigrette ingredients in a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid and give it a shake. And you’ll have a nice thick dressing à la Française.
Season the Tuna on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet until hot. Sear the Tuna for 1 min on each side, for well done add another minute. Remove. Slice and set aside.
Add potatoes, (You don’t have to peel them) thyme sprig in a salted cold water and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook 15-20 min until they are tender enough to cut with a fork. Drain thoroughly. When cool enough cut them into quarters. Set aside.
Then will fill up another saucepan with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, add a big pinch of salt, followed by haricots verts. Cook until tender with a slight snap, around 6 min. Drain and chill them on ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain, dry on paper towels and set aside.
Eggs: Place the eggs in small pan and cover with water. When boiling, remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 7 min. Remove the eggs with a spoon and set aside. (This can be prepared ahead of time).
Here’s the fun part, assembly! Just think of your serving platter as a canvas. Arrange the lettuce as a bed, followed by haricot verts, cherry tomatoes, slice potatoes continue with thinly slices cucumbers, red pepper, shallots, seared tuna, and eggs. Garnish with the anchovies, olives, Feta and drizzle dressing over all ingredients and serve.
I highly recommend you give it a try.
Bon appétit!
