Recipe
Jen’s Salad Niçoise
Salad Niçoise is a deconstructed salad made in the style of Nice, France. The vegetables are arranged in rows or in piles on a platter for serving.
I serve mine with fresh tuna steaks which I marinate and then sear in a screaming hot cast iron skillet, slice crosswise, and drizzle with a bit of reduced marinade.
I often serve fresh anchovies on the side for those who like them. I like the type you can get in fridge next to the seafood case that are preserved with vinegar and oil rather than the canned ones.
Most of this salad can be prepared in advance. If you don’t require your tuna hot out of the skillet, all of it can be prepared in advance, making it a great meal for guests.
Salad Niçoise is a deconstructed salad made in the style of Nice, France. The vegetables are arranged in rows or in piles on a platter for serving.
Ingredients
Hard boiled eggs
Red potatoes, diced and boiled
Fresh green beans, snipped and steamed until al dente
Romaine lettuce
Tomatoes cut into chunks
Other salad vegetables as desired (e.g., cucumbers)
Kalamata olives or black olives or caper berries
Crumbled bleu cheese
Fresh yellowfin tuna steaks
Ingredients for the Marinade
½ c balsamic vinegar
½ t garlic powder
½ c soy sauce
3-4 garlic cloves crushed or minced
Honey to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t ground ginger
Instructions
Step 1
Boil and peel the eggs.
Step 2
Step 3
Cook the beans and potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1” dice and toss into salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer until just done. Drain them into a colander and allow to cool to room temperature. Steam the green beans in a steamer or in the microwave until just tender. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Step 4
Marinate the tuna. Rinse the tuna and pat it dry. If the steaks are very large, cut them into serving-sized pieces and place into a glass dish. Put all the marinade ingredients into a glass measuring cup and whisk together. Pour over the steaks, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 5
Prepare the salad veggies. Chop the lettuce, drain the olives, and slice the cucumbers if using. Dive the tomatoes and place in a small bowl with salt and pepper and set aside. Just before assembling the salad, pour off the tomato juice into the vinaigrette.
Step 6
Assemble the salad. Arrange the lettuce on the platter. Then pour a little of the vinaigrette over the potatoes and place them in a row or a pile on your platter. Continue to arrange the rest of the veggies, the bleu cheese, and the eggs on the platter.
Step 7
Sear the tuna. I do this in my outdoor kitchen because it is messy. Use a cast iron skillet and a screen to contain the mess. Set the skillet over high heat. When it is very hot, add a little oil that has a high smoke point (e.g., avocado oil, peanut oil, or grapeseed oil) to the pan, then place the steaks in the oil, moving them around for just a second so each is coated with oil. Cover with the screen and set a timer for 1 ½ minutes for medium rare, 3 minutes for medium. When the timer goes off, use a metal spatula or tongs to turn the tuna over. It should release fairly easily if properly seared. Cook for another 1 ½ minutes for medium rare or 3 minutes for medium, then remove to a plate and cover.
Step 8
Make the reduction. Pour the marinade into the skillet. It will foam up and look absolutely amazing at first. Turn the heat down a little and cook until it is reduced by about half—it should take about 4 minutes. Turn off the heat. You can use the reduction to dress the tuna after cutting it, or let each person drizzle it over their tuna and salad as they like.
Serve
Cut the tuna crosswise and either place it over the salad or on a separate serving plate. You can dress the salad before serving if you like, or let folks dress their own. I usually do the latter as the leftovers save better if the salad isn’t dressed.
Jen’s Salad Niçoise
Ingredients
- Hard boiled eggs
- Fresh green beans snipped and steamed until al dente
- Tomatoes cut into chunks
- Kalamata olives or black olives or caper berries
- Crumbled bleu cheese
- Red potatoes diced and boiled
- Romaine lettuce
- Other salad vegetables as desired e.g., cucumbers
- Simple vinaigrette
- Marinade
- Fresh yellowfin tuna steaks
Ingredients for the Marinade
- ½ c balsamic vinegar
- ½ c soy sauce
- Honey to taste
- ½ t ground ginger
- ½ t garlic powder
- 3-4 garlic cloves crushed or minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil and peel the eggs.
- Make the vinaigrette.
- Cook the beans and potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1” dice and toss into salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer until just done. Drain them into a colander and allow to cool to room temperature. Steam the green beans in a steamer or in the microwave until just tender. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Marinate the tuna. Rinse the tuna and pat it dry. If the steaks are very large, cut them into serving-sized pieces and place into a glass dish. Put all the marinade ingredients into a glass measuring cup and whisk together. Pour over the steaks, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare the salad veggies. Chop the lettuce, drain the olives, and slice the cucumbers if using. Dice the tomatoes and place in a small bowl with salt and pepper and set aside. Just before assembling the salad, pour off the tomato juice into the vinaigrette.
- Assemble the salad. Arrange the lettuce on the platter. Then pour a little of the vinaigrette over the potatoes and place them in a row or a pile on your platter. Continue to arrange the rest of the veggies, the bleu cheese, and the eggs on the platter.
- Sear the tuna. I do this in my outdoor kitchen because it is messy. Use a cast iron skillet and a screen to contain the mess. Set the skillet over high heat. When it is very hot, add a little oil that has a high smoke point (e.g., avocado oil, peanut oil, or grapeseed oil) to the pan, then place the steaks in the oil, moving them around for just a second so each is coated with oil. Cover with the screen and set a timer for 1 ½ minutes for medium rare, 3 minutes for medium. When the timer goes off, use a metal spatula or tongs to turn the tuna over. It should release fairly easily if properly seared. Cook for another 1 ½ minutes for medium rare or 3 minutes for medium, then remove to a plate and cover.
- Make the reduction. Pour the marinade into the skillet. It will foam up and look absolutely amazing at first. Turn the heat down a little and cook until it is reduced by about half—it should take about 4 minutes. Turn off the heat. You can use the reduction to dress the tuna after cutting it, or let each person drizzle it over their tuna and salad as they like.
- Cut the tuna crosswise and either place it over the salad or on a separate serving plate. You can dress the salad before serving if you like, or let folks dress their own. I usually do the latter as the leftovers save better if the salad isn’t dressed.