Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Nicoise Salad

Nicoise salad is one of those wonderfully robust French salads that can be a complete meal, rather than just a bit of decorative greenery on the side of your plate. You know, next to the 300g slab of beef, the barbequed sausages or the chicken kebabs.

This is my take on a Nicoise salad. Traditionally, the salad contains tuna and anchovies and never contains any leaves (such as lettuce or baby spinach leaves). I prefer mine slightly untraditional.



Nicoise Salad
(Serves 4-6)

6 baby potatoes
150g fresh green beans
1 packet of washed leaves (lettuce or spinach) from the supermarket
1 punnet of cherry or grape tomatoes, halves
4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1 cup of black olives (preferably pitted)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tspn dijon mustard

Boil the baby potatoes (whole - no need to peel them either!) until they are tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Briefly blanch the green beans and also rinse them under cold running water.

In a large salad bowl combine the salad leaves, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, eggs and olives.

If you have a small container with a lid, use that to make the salad dressing by tipping in the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and some fresh cracked black pepper and shaking the whole lot really well until it's combined. (If you don't have a little container with a lid, put the ingredients in a jug and whisk until emulsified.) Dress the salad then enjoy as a main meal or a side dish.

Note: If you'd like to add tuna (or even smoked salmon or chicken) to this salad, then I would suggest using approximately 500g.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yum! I haven't had a Nicoise in ages. Yours looks delish - I agree, let's forget the leaves. All the good bits are right there :)

Anonymous said...

I just re-read my comment and realised it didn't match what was in my head!

That should read:
"Let's forget the no-leaves policy!"

I like to add baby spinach to mine to mix things up.

theFoodette & Family said...

stopping by from FyoB, this looks Deeeelish!!!
*Susan

Glen said...

Considering the post I put in on FYBF was all about tuna salad - I had to come here and see this - somehow you make salad look worth eating! A scarily worrying talent!

The Happy Whisk said...

Num num num.

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