Easy Classic Niçoise Salad
Updated. Originally 9th August 2017
This Easy to make Niçoise salad is Nutritious, satisfying and delicious with lots of great textures. It is perfect for a quick lunch, brunch, a light dinner or side dish. This simple but classic recipe can easily be made ahead - you can prep all of the ingredients in advance which makes this salad great for an easy meal!
What is Niçoise Salad?
It is a classic French composed salad originating from the South of France (Nice to be exact - thus the name), featuring tomatoes, tuna, Niçoise olives, and hard-boiled eggs. Each ingredient is artfully arranged on a plate in separate little piles, then drizzled with the dressing. It is such a great summer salad and has become popular all around the world. There are so many variations of this salad out there and my classic tuna version includes boiled potato and green beans over bed of lettuce. Many versions do not include those but I like to because they make this salad into a heartier one. I had my fill of the salad last summer while in the south of France and while there I noticed that the green beans were missing along with the potatoes - instead most of the ones I had were not as composed but the tuna, olives, tomatoes, onions, capers, and tuna were tossed with the lettuce and topped artfully with a few anchovy fillets and sliced red peppers. Then we dressed the salad with the oil and vinegar that was on the table and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Simple and delicious especially on those hot days. While there we also enjoyed a Niçoise sandwich, known locally as Pan Bagnat (meaning “wet bread” or “bathed bread”), which is an iconic picnic food from Nice and the South of France. It consists of a crusty round bread or baguette filled with components of a Niçoise salad—tuna, anchovies, boiled eggs, olives, and raw vegetables— soaked in and olive oil dressing - it was soooooo good and perfect for grabbing to take to the beach!
Ingredients For This Simple Niçoise salad
For the Dressing / Vinaigrette
- OIL: Extra virgin olive oil is essential.
- VINEGAR: Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or fresh lemon juice are all great options for adding just the right amount of acidity. Use what you have. I always have red wine vinegar on hand so I used that with lemon juice.
- EMULSIFIER/FLAVOR: Dijon mustard. Adds so much flavor to the dressing.
- AROMATICS: Finely minced shallots are a traditional add in to the dressing
- HERBS: We like to add thyme but fresh herbs like basil and tarragon also work great here.
- OPTIONAL ADD INS: Minced garlic, capers, or mashed anchovy fillets for added depth.
For the Salad
- POTATOES: We always use baby potatoes red potatoes or white or multi coloured - sliced in half or quarters depending on the size after they are boiled
- GREEN BEANS: You’ll need about 6 ounces of green beans. I like using French beans (haricots verts) because they are a thinner, longer, and more tender variety of common green beans
- EGGS: You will need 4 large eggs for hard (or soft!) boiling. We love a jammy or runny yolk but hard boiled is great too.
- SALAD GREENS: I like to use baby romaine lettuce for my salad greens or you could use any baby greens you like and even baby spinach and arugula.
- OLIVES: If you can find and use true Nicoise olives that is great - they are small, brown-purple to black in color. If not, use whatever variety you like - I used a mix.
- TOMATOES: I like to use grape or cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. You can also chop up regular size tomatoes into wedges.
- PICKLED RED ONIONS: We love the flavor of pickled red onion - sweet, tart and crunchy. Feel free to use sliced red onion instead
- CUCUMBERS: They are the perfect crunchy crisp addition to the salad.
- TUNA: Use your favourite kind from your budget friendly canned to slightly more premium jarred tuna.
- CAPERS: Capers add a bright, briny flavor, and salty punch to Niçoise salad, enhancing the flavor of the tuna, eggs, and vegetables.
- OPTIONAL ADD INS: Some recipes call for adding anchovy fillets to the dressing or laying a few fillets over the salad itself. I love anchovies so I often do add them. You could also add fava beans, artichokes, bell peppers which are also common add ins. Radishes add nice crunch to the salad as well.
How To Make This Nicoise Salad Recipe (detailed cooking process below)
- Make Dressing: Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Cook Eggs: Boil eggs 7-10 minutes, place in ice cold water bath then peel and slice.
- Cook Potatoes & Green Beans: Boil potatoes until just shy of being done then add the green beans and continue to boil and blanch 2-3 more minutes until potatoes are done and green beans are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water or transfer to ice bath. drain and pat dry, slice potatoes in half or quarters.
- Assemble Salad: Plate salad greens over large platter, arrange remaining ingredients over lettuce, drizzle with dressing and garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Niçoise Salad Make Ahead & Storage:
- STORAGE: The dressing can cause your salad greens to be soggy so by storing or serving it on the side, the salad will store longer. Dressed salad leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple days but the greens will likely not hold up too well.
- MAKE AHEAD/MEAL PREP: Prepare components (hard-boiled eggs, chopped lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, green beans, dressing) up to 1-2 days ahead, storing them in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Add dressing and assemble only just before serving to avoid wilted, soggy greens. Without the salad greens the rest of the salad ingredients hold up really well even after being dressed. Store them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The flavors actually improve as it sits, so it’s perfect for make-ahead meals or leftovers. Just give it a quick toss before serving!
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Recipe
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups baby potatoes, approx 10-12
- 6 ounces green beans (haricot verts)
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- 6 oz canned tuna, drained
- 1 cup pitted olives
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ English Cucumber, sliced
- ½ cup pickled red onion or thinly sliced red onions
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
For the Dressing
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard or grainy mustard
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar or white
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey (optional)
- 1 clove of garlic, grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 small shallot, minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
Directions
Make dressing
- Whisk Dijon mustard with vinegar & lemon juice, lemon zest, shallots, maple syrup, thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle olive oil while whisking constantly to create a thick emulsion. Feel free to blend everything alternatively. Store in the fridge while preparing the salad.
Cook Eggs
- Bring a medium pot of water to a rapid boil. Carefully add the eggs to the boiling water. Set your timer for 7 minutes and boil eggs for 7-10 mins. (7 mins for soft jammy yolks - 10 mins for hard boiled eggs) While the eggs are boiling, prepare your ice bath. Fill a large bowl with ⅔ ice, and cover it with cold tap water. Set aside. At the 7-minute mark exactly, carefully remove the eggs one by one with a slotted spoon. Transfer each egg immediately to the ice bath and allow the eggs to sit in the ice bath for about 5 minutes. Carefully, under running water, peel each egg. Slice in half or quarters and set aside
Cook Potatoes and Green Beans
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to the boil and cook the potatoes for 15 minutes or until tender, adding the green beans in for the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain and run under cold water or place in ice water bath to cool drain, then pat dry.
Pre-Dress Potatoes & Tuna
- Slice potatoes in half and toss with 1-2 teaspoons of the dressing.
- Gently toss the tuna with a little dressing as well for the flavors to soak through.
Assemble Salad
- Add salad greens to platter and toss with a couple of teaspoons of dressing
- Arranged remaining ingredients over greens
- Drizzle each component with a little dressing, garnish with some chopped fresh herbs like parsley if you wish and serve with remaining dressing on the side and some crusty baguette
