Nicoise Salad (French Tuna and Vegetable Salad) Recipe
Nicoise Salad is a classic French dish featuring tender baby potatoes, crisp green beans, ripe tomatoes, fresh romaine lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, black olives, and chunks of tuna, all brought together with a zesty lemon Dijon dressing. This vibrant salad combines fresh, wholesome ingredients to create a satisfying and flavorful meal that’s perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- 8 baby/chat potatoes
- 120g (4 oz) green beans, trimmed
- 2 tomatoes, each cut into 8–10 wedges
- 1/2 baby cos lettuce (romaine), cut or torn into large bite-size pieces
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
- ¾ cup (100g) unpitted black olives
- 250–300g (8–10 oz) canned chunk tuna in oil, drained and broken into large chunks
Lemon Nicoise Dressing
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove, minced or grated
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing: Combine lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, salt, Dijon mustard, and black pepper in a jar or small bowl. Shake or whisk thoroughly until the dressing emulsifies and is well blended.
- Cook the potatoes: Place the baby potatoes in a pot of boiling water and cook until they are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15–20 minutes. Drain and allow them to cool fully. Once cooled, slice each potato in half.
- Blanch the green beans: Boil the trimmed green beans in water until they are tender but still crisp, about 3–4 minutes. Drain and immediately refresh them under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and pat dry with a towel.
- Assemble the salad: On a large, wide serving plate, spread the torn romaine lettuce leaves as the base. Artistically scatter and layer the halved potatoes, blanched green beans, tomato wedges, black olives, and tuna chunks around the plate. Arrange the quartered hard-boiled eggs on top for an attractive finish.
- Dress and serve: Drizzle the prepared lemon Nicoise dressing evenly over the assembled salad just before serving to keep ingredients fresh and vibrant.
Notes
- Use baby or new potatoes for their tender texture and subtle flavor.
- Unpitted black olives add a robust, salty note typical of traditional Nicoise salads.
- Opt for high-quality canned chunk tuna packed in oil for richer taste and better texture.
- Blanching green beans and cooling them in ice water keeps their color vibrant and texture crisp.
- The salad is best served immediately after dressing to preserve freshness and texture.
Keywords: Nicoise Salad, French Salad, Tuna Salad, Healthy Salad, Potato Salad, Green Beans, Lemon Dressing
