Nicoise Salad

Tonight, we had one of our favorite salads for dinner and I realized I've never put it on the blog. So, here it is. It is a French salad that originated in the city of Nice and it has such a great combination of flavors; Bruce says he could eat it every week. Why I've never posted it here on my blog, I really don't know because we eat it often. I even made it for dinner one night during our trip to Japan last year in 2017. Nick and Sachiyo LOVED it. 

 

Of course, this was the Japanese version with lots of fish in it, including the Japanese favorite of shirasu which are those little white fish that the Japanese sprinkle on a lot of dishes. I don't remember what the big fish were, something common that they eat a lot but I do remember we also bought some tuna to crumble in it that was delicious. It was really dense fish with a big bone in it, like a pork chop only fish. The Japanese eat all the parts of fish so this must have been a part that we don't see much in our country.

 

It was like tuna fish out of a can only fresh, so good. The Japanese version of the Nicoise salad had three kinds of fish in it -they are big fish eaters over there. My version has two kinds of fish; tuna and anchovy. Anchovy was so popular in Cinque Terre in Italy, we just loved eating them when we were there in 2016. This salad sort of reminds me of that trip. 

They even ate them like french fries. 

If you don't like anchovy, you can omit them and just use tuna. You can use tuna out of a can, but the recipe calls for good quality like bonita tuna. You can find this kind in the grocery store by the canned fish. 

There are a lot of versions of this salad. The most common versions have tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, olives and tuna in it. The salad is often "composed" with the ingredients all arranged on a plate in separate little piles, then drizzled with the dressing. I like to toss mine all together so all the ingredients are evenly dispersed. Remember, I won the cooking contest on our last cruise for my salad because mine was the only one that wasn't composed. (Mine is the one on the top left) I was awarded a bottle champagne for my prize! 

I'm going to keep with my usual method and toss my Nicoise salad, too. There is a lot of preparation you can do ahead of time to make this salad, if you want. It's not a good salad to make on a hot day if you haven't made things ahead of time because you have to cook the potatoes and green beans. And there is lots of chopping so I'm not going to say this is exactly a fast and easy salad. But it is so good, it's worth the effort. I got this version from Serious Eats and I think it's an excellent version.


Makes 4 servings

Salad

3/4 pound small, waxy potatoes (about 2-4 potatoes), such as young Yukon golds
1/2 medium onion
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 medium cloves garlic
1/2 cup kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 pound string beans, preferably French haricots vests, trimmed
4 large eggs
1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, preferably a small variety or cherry tomatoes, halved, quartered or cut into wedges (depending on size)
10 anchovy fillets, packed-in-oil, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 - 8.5 ounce can oil-packed bonito tuna, drained
3/4 cup pitted small black olives, such as Nicoise or Taggiasca, drained
2 Tbsp drained brined capers
20 torn fresh basil leaves
3 ounces (about 4 cups) lettuce greens, such as arugula, butter lettuce, etc.
freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette Dressing

1 small shallot, minced (about 2 Tbsp)
1 small clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 tsp)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 anchovy fillets, packed-in-oil, minced (about 1 tsp)
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. water
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

To make dressing: Combine shallot, garlic, mustard, anchovies, vinegar, and water in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Dressing will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To make salad: 

1. In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with at least 2 inches of water. Add onion, thyme, and garlic. Stir in 1/2 cup salt until dissolved. Set over medium-high heat and bring just to a simmer. 

2. Lower heat to just barely below a simmer and cook until potatoes are easily pierced by a fork, about 40 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let stand in cooking water until cooled slightly. Drain potatoes. If using right away, allow to cool to room temperature, then crumble and set aside. If making 1 day ahead, store potatoes in the refrigerator, then revive by gently causing with the bottom of a saucepan and trying in a cast iron skillet, allow to cool to room temperature, then crumble and set aside.

4. For green beans, fill a large saucepan with water and season generously with salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring saucepan of water to a boil. Cook beans until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to ice bath to chill. 

 

5. Drain beans and pat dry. Beans can be refrigerated at this point. Cut beans into 1-1/2 inch lengths and set aside.

6. For hard boiled eggs, add 1 inch of water to a large pot and place steamer insert inside, cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add eggs to steamer basket, cover, and continue cooking 9 minutes. Immediately place eggs in a bowl of ice water and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before peeling under cool running water. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cut egg into quarters lengthwise.

7. In a large bowl, combine lettuce greens, basil, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, anchovy fillets, tuna, olives, and capers.

 

8. Shake or whisk dressing, then drizzle a small amount over salad in bowl, tossing gently and adding more dressing as needed until everything is lightly coated. Season with salt and pepper.

9. Transfer salad to serving bowls and garnish with eggs.