Nicoise Salad (French Tuna and Vegetable Salad) Recipe
A classic French Niçoise Salad featuring tender baby potatoes, crisp green beans, ripe tomatoes, romaine lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, black olives, and flaky canned tuna, all tossed together with a bright and tangy lemon Dijon dressing. Perfect for a light, refreshing meal that showcases simple and fresh Mediterranean flavors.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Halal
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 black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the Dressing: Combine lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, salt, Dijon mustard, and black pepper in a jar. Shake well until emulsified and set aside to allow flavors to meld.
- Cook Potatoes: Place the baby potatoes in boiling water and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 12–15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them cool completely. Once cooled, slice each potato in half.
- Blanch Green Beans: Boil the trimmed green beans in water until they reach your preferred tenderness, usually about 3–4 minutes. Immediately drain and refresh them under cold running water to stop the cooking process and retain their bright green color. Drain again and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- Assemble the Salad: On a large wide plate, arrange the torn or cut romaine lettuce leaves as a base. Artfully scatter and layer the sliced potatoes, blanched green beans, tomato wedges, and black olives over the lettuce. Add the quartered hard-boiled eggs and large chunks of drained tuna on top. Drizzle the prepared lemon Nicoise dressing evenly over the entire salad before serving.
Notes
- Make sure the potatoes are fully cooled before slicing to maintain their texture.
- You can substitute black olives with Niçoise olives or Kalamata olives if preferred.
- For best flavor, use good quality canned tuna packed in oil.
- The salad is best served fresh but can be refrigerated briefly before serving.
Keywords: Niçoise salad, French salad, tuna salad, lemon dressing, healthy salad, Mediterranean salad
