Recipe by Sarah Epps
This composed Niçoise salad is gluten-free and includes egg, with tuna or leftover fish as the classic protein and an easy vegetarian swap of chickpeas if you would rather skip the fish. It is a recipe for Summer beauty, best made when tomatoes and green beans are at their peak and you have an hour to slow down and really look at what you are assembling before serving it for a relaxed lunch or dinner outside.
Serves 4, can scale up to feed a larger group. Preparation time is about an hour.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 head tender lettuce, washed and dried
- 1 ripe tomato, cut in wedges, or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 large handfuls green beans, trimmed
- 2 cups small potatoes
- 1 egg per person
- ½ cup oil cured olives
- 1 jar tuna, or a few ounces of smoked trout or leftover fish of any kind, or 1 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained) if you want a vegetarian version
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 tbsp. shallot, minced
- 1 tbsp. rough mustard
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- Flaky salt and fresh ground pepper
Equipment
- Cutting board and chef's knife
- Large pot for boiling water
- Slotted spoon or spider
- Colander
- Multiple bowls: large for washing vegetables, medium for an ice bath and then for tossing components with dressing, and a large platter or shallow bowl for composing the salad and serving
- Kitchen towel for drying vegetables
Process
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash all your vegetables by submerging each kind in a big bowl of water, agitate them, and let them dry on a towel (use a lettuce spinner for the lettuce if you have one). Prepare an ice bath (a medium sized bowl of water with ice cubes in it). Boil the green beans for just a few minutes until they are bright green and tender but still have some snap to them, then use a slotted spoon or spider to scoop them into the ice bath. Keep the water boiling after removing the green beans, and add the potatoes. Drain the green beans from the ice bath and let them dry on a kitchen towel.
- While the potatoes are boiling, make the vinaigrette, combining the minced shallot, mustard, vinegar or lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a jar with a lid and shake to combine, or whisk in a small bowl. Let the potatoes cook until a knife slides easily into them, testing after 10 minutes, then scoop them into a colander. Use the boiling water (or a second smaller pan of fresh water) to boil the eggs for 7 minutes if you want them slightly liquid in the middle, or 8 if you want them harder cooked. Drain the eggs and cool in the ice bath.
- Drain the tuna or chickpeas in a colander. If you are using chickpeas, rinse them and let them dry.
- At this point, everything that needs to cook has been cooked, everything raw has been washed and dried, and you are ready to dress and assemble the components of the salad. (You can do all of this ahead of time, take a break, and come back to it.) Choose a large platter or large shallow bowl, and have ready a smaller bowl for tossing ingredients in dressing. This could be the same bowl you used for the ice bath.
- Toss the chickpeas or tuna with some lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, then mound them onto the platter wherever you like. Put the green beans in the bowl, pour a little dressing on them, toss, and place them on the platter. Repeat with the potatoes, and then the lettuce.
- Peel and slice the eggs and arrange them on the platter. Place your tomato wedges or halved cherry tomatoes on the platter as well, drizzling a little olive oil and salt on top. Mound your oil cured olives where they please you, and put out a tiny bowl for the olive pits. Serve this glorious salad with some fresh iced tea or rosé.
