Nicoise Salad
This to me is the perfect salad, the flavour combination in this salad is just delicious. It's a hearty salad, yet it's still light. For me this is a great lunch idea.
The salad is a great party salad, as you can prepare things in advance, then just assemble before serving.
The ingredients, this is my favourite version, but you can omit things you don't like and add other things if you do like. For instance I have to add anchovies, but you don't have to. You could add onions, cucumbers or capsicums to the salad.
There are few things that do have to appear in the salad:
Canned tuna in olive oil is the best, in all honesty don't use a brine or springwater one here, the olive oil one has more flavour. The two brands I love are Adriatic Queen Tuna fillets or Sirena Tuna.
Eggs, hard or soft boiled, whatever you prefer, I prefer soft boiled. If you soft boil them, just halve them so you don't lose all the yolk. If the yolk is set, you can quarter the eggs so it looks like there is more on the platter.
Baby potatoes, if you can't find baby potatoes, cut up larger ones, though you may have to peel them.
I love kalamata olives here, with pips, they taste better.
Tomatoes-they need to be ripe, you can use large tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.
Beans-cook them how you like them.
Baby cos, I prefer baby cos to the large variety. I like to make the salad cover the entire base of my platter.
This a great lunch idea that I know I'll be making for years to come, hope you do to.
The salad is a great party salad, as you can prepare things in advance, then just assemble before serving.
The ingredients, this is my favourite version, but you can omit things you don't like and add other things if you do like. For instance I have to add anchovies, but you don't have to. You could add onions, cucumbers or capsicums to the salad.
There are few things that do have to appear in the salad:
Canned tuna in olive oil is the best, in all honesty don't use a brine or springwater one here, the olive oil one has more flavour. The two brands I love are Adriatic Queen Tuna fillets or Sirena Tuna.
Eggs, hard or soft boiled, whatever you prefer, I prefer soft boiled. If you soft boil them, just halve them so you don't lose all the yolk. If the yolk is set, you can quarter the eggs so it looks like there is more on the platter.
Baby potatoes, if you can't find baby potatoes, cut up larger ones, though you may have to peel them.
I love kalamata olives here, with pips, they taste better.
Tomatoes-they need to be ripe, you can use large tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.
Beans-cook them how you like them.
Baby cos, I prefer baby cos to the large variety. I like to make the salad cover the entire base of my platter.
This a great lunch idea that I know I'll be making for years to come, hope you do to.
Recipe
Recipe adapted from www.recipetineats.com/
Serves 4
8 baby/chat potatoes
120g green beans, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tomatoes, each cut into 8-10 wedges
1 baby cos lettuce (romaine), cut or torn into large bite sized pieces
3 medium-hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
100g unpitted black kalamata olives
250 – 300g canned chunk tuna in oil, drained and broken into large chunks
8 anchovies, to taste, optional
Lemon Niçoise dressing:
1½-2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch black pepper
Serves 4
8 baby/chat potatoes
120g green beans, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tomatoes, each cut into 8-10 wedges
1 baby cos lettuce (romaine), cut or torn into large bite sized pieces
3 medium-hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
100g unpitted black kalamata olives
250 – 300g canned chunk tuna in oil, drained and broken into large chunks
8 anchovies, to taste, optional
Lemon Niçoise dressing:
1½-2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch black pepper
Dressing: Shake the dressing ingredients in a jar.
Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and leave to fully cool. Slice into halves.
Blanch Beans: Boil green beans until tender or done to your liking, 3-4 minutes is what I do. Drain and refresh under cold running water to quickly cool. Drain.
Arrange the cos leaves on a large, wide plate.
Scatter and layer the remaining ingredients artfully around the plate, finishing with the eggs, olives and chunks of tuna. Drizzle with dressing and serve.
Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and leave to fully cool. Slice into halves.
Blanch Beans: Boil green beans until tender or done to your liking, 3-4 minutes is what I do. Drain and refresh under cold running water to quickly cool. Drain.
Arrange the cos leaves on a large, wide plate.
Scatter and layer the remaining ingredients artfully around the plate, finishing with the eggs, olives and chunks of tuna. Drizzle with dressing and serve.
Enjoy!
