Updated 3/27/2024

A nicoise salad (or salade niçoise, as it is properly called) is salad that will impress your family or guests. This French salad is as visually stunning as it is tasty. Picture yourself lounging on a sun-kissed terrace overlooking the waters of the Mediterranean. In front of you sits a vibrant plate, adorned with a symphony of colors and flavors. This, my friend, is the Nicoise salad – a culinary masterpiece hailing from the French Riviera.

Imagine a bed of crisp mixed greens, topped with tender green beans, plump cherry tomatoes, briny olives, and creamy hard-boiled eggs. Add to that the savory richness of sliced tuna steaks and the earthy goodness of boiled potatoes. Each bite is a delightful medley of textures and tastes, transporting you to the shores of Provence with every forkful. But what truly elevates this salad is its dressing – a simple yet exquisite blend of extra virgin olive oil, tangy red wine vinegar, pungent Dijon mustard, and fragrant minced garlic. Drizzled over the salad, it ties together all the elements, infusing each bite with a burst of Mediterranean flavor.

The Ingredients

It goes without saying that the freshness of the ingredients is essential to the overall flavor of this dish. As a salad, each ingredient should shine but also complement each other.

• Tuna steaks- you could used canned tuna but I prefer the flavor and texture of a freshly seared tuna steak
• Boiled Eggs- my preference is for an egg cooked just below hard boiled. I like a slightly jammy yolk
• Baby Red Potatoes-adds nice texture and earthiness to the salad
• Butter lettuce- soft and tender leaves with a mild floral sweetness
• Cherry tomatoes- adds a sweet and slightly tangy component to the salad
• Red Onion- colorful and a more mild and sweet onion
• Green Beans- adds a nice, crisp texture to the salad
• Kalamata Olives- rich and salty with a very distinctive flavor
• Capers- salty and acidic with lemony undertones

Making the Nicoise Salad

A couple of the ingredients can be made in advance to save time. For example, the red wine vinaigrette can be made and stored in the fridge a day or two in advance. The boiled eggs can also be made in advance. If you go this route, I would let them come to room temperature. Nicoise salad is best served slightly warm or room temperature. Cold eggs just wouldn’t work here.

Other than the boiled eggs, there is some cooking required for this salad. The red potatoes are to be boiled in salt water until fork tender, and the green beans should be blanched for a few minutes. You want to be careful not to overcooked the potatoes and green beans. We want them to hold their shape and add texture to the overall dish. No one wants mush vegetables in their salad, am I right? And of course, there is the tune steak. The tuna is seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper and seared for a few minutes on each side. Let it rest and it’s ready for the salad.

Once your ingredients are prepped, the salad is ready to be assembled. Part of the appeal of this dish is the presentation. Each ingredient is segmented over the butter lettuce on a large platter. I suggest starting with the sliced tuna in the center, and working your way out from there. Then carefully arrange the halved boiled eggs around the platter. Although the ingredients are not mixed together, encourage guests to take a little bit of everything when serving.

Serving the Nicoise Salad

As previously mentioned, nicoise salad is best served slightly warm or room temperature. The recipe serves 6 as a side, but it is hearty enough to serve a smaller group as the meal or main course. So feel free to eat it alone or pair it with vichysoisse and make a meal out of it. Whether enjoyed as a light lunch, a refreshing side dish, or a vibrant appetizer, the Nicoise salad is a celebration of summer in every mouthful.

If you make this recipe, leave a comment below and post on Instagram. Make sure to tag @blasianbonvivant and use hashtag #bbvrecipe.

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Nicoise Salad

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: French

Keywords: French, gluten free, tuna

Servings: 6

Ingredients

Dressing

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp shallot, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad

• 2 tuna steaks
• 4 boiled eggs, halved
• 1/2 lb baby red potatoes
• 1 head of butter lettuce
• handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives
• 1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
• salt and freshly cracked pepper

Instructions

Tuna Steaks

• Drizzle tuna steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook tuna steaks in a pan over medium high heat (approximately 2-3 minutes on each side).
• Cut the tuna across the grain into 1/2 inch slices.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

• In a mason jar, place olive oil, red wine vinegar, shallots, basil, thyme, tarragon, and mustard. Securely place the lid and shake until the dressing is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Salad

• In a small bowl, let red onions sit in approximately 3 tbsp of dressing. Set aside.
• Place red potatoes in a pot of salted water. Boil until fork tender (approximately 12 minutes).
• Drain potatoes and cut in half. Place them in a bowl with 1/4 cup of the dressing.
• At the same time the potatoes are cooking, add greens beans to a pot of salted boiling water. Cook until bright green, approximately 5 minutes.
• Drain green beans and place in a bowl of ice water. Remove from water after a minute.
• On a large serving platter arrange the butter lettuce. Place tuna in the middle of the lettuce. Arrange tomatoes, onions, potatoes, green beans , olives, capers and boiled eggs around the tuna.
• Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve.