Category
Salad
Servings
2-3
Author:
Signe Quitslund
Our take on a salad niçoise filled to the brim with vibrant summer produce!
Ingredients
1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 teaspoon dijon or whole-grain mustard
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice or white/red wine vinegar (or a mix)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives or tarragon leaves
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- –
- 8 ½ ounces green beans or snap peas, ends trimmed
- 10 ounces potatoes, washed
- 2 eggs
- 1 can tuna, drained if in water
- ½ shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon
- Sherry or red wine vinegar
- 1 medium tomato, roughly cut into ½-1” pieces
- 3 ounces zucchini or carrot, shaved into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
- 6 ounces lettuce, washed dried and torn
- Handful of herbs (basil, dill, tarragon, parsley, chives, cilantro...or a mix)
- ⅓ cup olives, halved (niçoise, picholine, kalamata, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons capers
- Flaky salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
Directions
For the Dressing
- Combine all ingredients and whisk together to combine. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
To Blanch Vegetables & Cook Eggs
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and prepare an ice batch (fill a large bowl with ice and water). Once water boils, add beans/peas and blanch for 45 seconds - 1 minute, or until tender. Using a slotted spoon or a pair of tongs, remove from water and transfer them to the ice bath.
Bring water back up to a boil and add your potatoes. Reduce water to a simmer and cover, leaving lid slightly ajar. Cook potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, 15-25 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. Once cooked, remove potatoes from the water and set aside to cool, then break the potatoes into bite size pieces.
Finally, bring water back up to a boil and gently add your eggs to the pot. Reduce to a bubbling simmer, and cook for 6-8 minutes depending on desired doneness for your egg. Remove green beans from the ice bath and set aside to drain, then add your eggs to the ice bath (adding more ice as needed) once done cooking. Let eggs rest there for at least 5 minutes, then peel and cut in half.
For the Tuna
- In a small bowl, break the tuna up using your fingers or a fork to flake it (see note 1). Add the zest from your lemon, a squeeze of lemon juice or splash of vinegar, salt (see note 2), and some black pepper. Add additional olive oil if necessary. Mix to combine everything, and season to taste with salt and vinegar/lemon juice).
Note 1: If using a tuna that has been canned in olive oil, add some of that oil into the bowl. If using a tuna that has been canned in water, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the tuna before mixing.
Note 2: Salt level will vary depending on the variety of tuna you are using, so taste to see!
At this point, you have two options: 1) you can assemble your salad as noted below, or 2) you can season the vegetables individually as noted below before assembling your salad.
Seasoning Recommendations:
Green Beans/Snap Peas: toss with lemon zest + flaky salt + olive oil
- Potatoes: toss with olive oil + flaky salt + paprika + black pepper + dill and/or chives
- Tomatoes: olive oil + flaky salt + black pepper + basil and/or thyme
- Zucchini/Carrots: olive oil + lemon juice + flaky salt + ground coriander or cumin
Optional Additions/Substitutions:
Pan-roasted radishes with olive oil and salt
- Salsa Verde (recipe in the Kinfood Archives)
- Crispy Chickpeas (recipe in the Kinfood Archives)
To Serve
Toss lettuces and herbs with a bit of vinaigrette and a pinch of salt. Arrange in individual serving bowls, and top with a portion of each of the vegetables and the tuna. Add your eggs, and top each with salt and pepper. Scatter the olives and capers over everything, and serve with additional dressing for people to add on top as desired.