Nicoise Salad French Salad With Tuna

Hefty and interesting enough for lunch, but not so heavy it loses its summery personality. Though mind you, I happily serve this year-round! After a (very!) extended water break, the inaugural Holiday Salad Marathon has resumed! Today – how the French make canned tuna fabulous:

Nicoise Salad (Salade Nicoise)

Nicoise Salad – or in French, Salade Nicoise – is a classic salad originating from the city of Nice in Provence, France. As with most well-loved traditional recipes, there are fist-shaking arguments over what goes into a proper Nicoise salad. Question any French chef, housewife or man in the street and you’ll get a different answer every time. But there are some generally agreed inclusions that make sense for a dish of Mediterranean provenance, such as olives, beans, tomatoes, boiled eggs and some kind of salted preserved fish. This recipe is how I like my Nicoise salad. I think it should be satisfying enough for a lunch, but not too heavy as to lose its summer appeal or ability to play an accompanying role as part of a larger meal.

What goes in Nicoise Salad

Here’s what goes in our Nicoise salad:

Canned tuna – Yep, good ol’ canned tuna! Tuna in oil trumps tuna in spring water, and not all canned tuna is created equal. You’ll impress me if you use homemade! Fancy option: Tataki-style seared tuna then sliced so it looks like this Tuna Tataki.Baby potatoes – Small is more commonly seen, but you could cut regular potatoes into pieces;Boiled eggs – Because they’re quartered here for better distribution, cook to medium or hard-boiled, rather than soft with a runny yolk. If you really want that runny yolk – and I certainly wouldn’t discourage that – just halve them instead and place strategically so the yolk doesn’t run everywhere;Black olives – Get the best olives you can find. Unpitted Kalamata, Ligurian or Nicoise olives in brine or oil are best;Tomato, beans & cos/romaine lettuce – All standard Nicoise Salad inclusions; andLemon Dressing – Extra virgin olive oil, lemon, garlic and Dijon Mustard (for thickening, so it coats the potatoes better).

As mentioned in the introduction, there are no hard and fast rules about what goes in Nicoise salad. So I’ve also included notes on variations and other ingredients that are commonly seen in Nicoise salads, so you can design your perfect version. It’s your salad, don’t let anyone tell you what you should or should not include in it – not even the French!! 😂 – Nagi x PS. No video for these extra salad recipes. But if you want one, just put a request in below. I’ll make this for lunch and film it for you!

Life, however, got in the way and I never crossed the finish line before Christmas. After an extended water break, I’ve finally resumed!!! These salads are in addition to my regular 3 new recipes a week. Because aren’t you bored of the usual tomato-cucumber-lettuce garden salad routine?? Click here to see all the Holiday Salad Marathon recipes to date!