Niçoise Salad

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How to make Niçoise salad, a fresh, filling French salad with hard boiled eggs, potato, green beans, tuna, tomatoes, and olives in a tangy dressing.

Prep: 15

Cook: 20

Total: 35

Servings: servings (or 2 larger servings)

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Ingredients

For the Salad:

4 large eggs
8 ounces fresh green beans trimmed and halved (or additional baby potatoes)
6 ounces baby potatoes left whole (or additional green beans)
1 head soft lettuce such as Boston or Bibb, chopped, or 3 cups mixed greens
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
½ English cucumber halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced (or 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced)
½ cup Niçoise or Kalamata olives (the French don’t pit theirs, but feel free to pit them)
4 ounces oil-packed canned tuna or salmon drained and flaked, or 5-6 best quality anchovies
Chopped fresh basil or parsley optional for serving
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Dressing:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 small cloves garlic minced or grated (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Instructions

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. With a slotted spoon, gently lower the eggs into the boiling water. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle, steady simmer. Let the eggs simmer at this low, gentle boil for 8 minutes for slightly jammy yolks (or cook up to 9 minutes for fully set yolks). In the meantime, prepare a large ice bath. Use the slotted spoon to carefully transfer the eggs to the ice bath. Gently crack the shells with the back of the spoon, then return them to the water (this makes them easier to peel). Peel and set aside.
Return the same pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and green beans. Boil until the green beans are al dente and the potatoes are fork-tender, about 4 minutes for the green beans and 12 minutes for the potatoes. As soon as each is finished cooking, scoop it into the ice bath, then let sit in the ice water a few minutes to chill down.
Drain and pat dry.
Prepare the dressing: in a glass measuring cup or small mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, garlic, and chives. Taste and adjust as needed (it should knock your socks off a little).
To serve, arrange the salad leaves on a big serving platter.
Spoon a little of the dressing over the top. Halve the eggs and potatoes, then arrange them on top of the leaves, along with the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and tuna. Drizzle with a bit more dressing (don’t overdo it). Season with a pinch of additional kosher salt and several good grinds of black pepper. Allow guests to add more dressing to individual portions as desired.

Notes

This recipe is VERY flexible (in fact, the original recipe for Niçoise salad in Nice only calls for crisp, raw vegetables, though you'll find the popular version with green beans and potatoes all over Paris). Feel free to swap the green beans, potatoes, and cucumbers for other crisp vegetables of choice. Radishes, shredded carrots, and sugar snap peas are all great options.
TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 2 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 305kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 14gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 174mgPotassium: 665mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2349IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 3mg