Classic Nicoise Salad Recipe

This Classic Niçoise Salad recipe is loaded up with fresh grilled tuna, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables in a tasty mustard-based vinaigrette. You will love the hearty flavors in this traditional salad.

If you’re like me and love big hearty refreshing salads, then you must try out my Chef Salad or my Cobb Salad Recipe.

Niçoise Salad

Niçoise salad is a classic French salad served in the French Riviera city of Nice. The specific cooking methods associated with Nice include cold or hot meals that include tomatoes, olives, garlic, and anchovies. Salad Niçoise, or as we call it, Niçoise salad contains these ingredients with the addition of green beans, onions, tuna, and hard-boiled eggs.

While it seems, there are many components of this traditional salad, it is actually very easy to make and can be created in as little as 30 to 45 minutes. While there are basic staple ingredients for the Niçoise salad, it has evolved over time and you may see ingredients such as cucumbers, capers, or different types of olives. I recommend you use what you have and what’s available, and I promise it will still be delicious.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Lettuce – The classic greens to use are butterleaf or Boston bibb.   
• Beans – The classic green bean to use are known as haricot verts, which are French-style green beans. You can also just use regular green beans.
• Potatoes – I used the traditional red potato for this niçoise salad.
• Eggs – You will need some hard boiled eggs.
• Tomatoes – I like to use Roma tomatoes because their flavor is decent all year long.
• Onion – Red onion is the classic onion to use.
• Artichokes – These are optional, but would still be traditional to use.
• Olives – Niçoise olives are what I used. Since these can be hard to find, kalamata olives are an acceptable substitute.
• Tuna – I think fresh tuna takes this recipe over the top. However drained canned tuna can absolutely be used.
• Anchovies – This is optional, but a few anchovies can go a long way to adding more flavor to the salad.

How to Make a Niçoise Salad

1. Vinaigrette:Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium size bowl until combined. Chill until ready to serve.
2. Salad: In a large pot of boiling salted water, add in the potatoes and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until al dente. Remove the potatoes and shock them in an ice bath immediately to cool them down. Remove from the water and chill until ready to serve.
3. Next, add in the green beans to the boiling salted water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until al dente. Remove them and shock in an ice bath immediately. Remove from the water and chill until ready to serve.
4. Season the tuna on all sides with salt and pepper and set on a plate.
5. Heat a grill pan over high heat and add in the olive oil. Add in the tuna and turn the heat down to medium-high and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes per side until the desired internal temperature is achieved. Remove the tuna and chill until ready to serve.
6. Place the romaine lettuce in a bowl or large serving platter and evenly add on the cooked red potatoes, green beans, cooked tuna, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, artichokes, red onions, olives, and anchovies.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can make this Niçoise salad up to 1 day before. Just be sure it is not yet mixed with the dressing. In addition, it would be best to keep the ingredients separate.

How to Store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator undressed for up to 3 days. This will not freeze. The salad could last 1 to 2 days longer if you keep the topping ingredients store separately.

Chef Notes + Tips

• In addition to Boston bibb and butter leaf lettuce you can use other lettuces like spring mix or Romaine.
• It is ok to serve the tuna at any internal temperature.
• Optional ingredients you can add to the vinaigrette are 1 tablespoon each of fresh basil, thyme, or tarragon, or ½ peeled and small diced shallot.
• Al dente means to the tooth. The vegetables should have a gentle firmness to them.

More Salad Recipes

• Green Goddess
• Caprese Salad
• Spring Salad
• Tabbouleh Salad
• Greek Salad

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Classic Niçoise Salad Recipe

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5 from 10 votes

This Classic Niçoise Salad recipe is loaded up with fresh grilled tuna, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables in a tasty mustard-based vinaigrette.

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

For the Vinaigrette:

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
• ½ cup of olive oil

For the Salad:

• 2 pounds red potatoes
• 1 pound haricot verts
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 pound fresh tuna, cut into fillets
• 3 heads Boston bibb, torn into 2” pieces
• 4 quartered Roma tomatoes
• 5 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and cut in half
• 15- ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
• ½ peeled and julienne red onion
• 1 cup pitted Niçoise olives
• 10-12 anchovies
• coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• Vinaigrette: Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium size bowl until combined. Chill it until it is ready to be served.
• Salad: In a large pot of boiling salted water, add in the potatoes and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until al dente. Remove the potatoes and shock them in an ice bath immediately to cool them down. Remove from the water and chill until ready to serve.
• Next, add in the green beans to the boiling salted water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until al dente. Remove them and shock in an ice bath immediately. Remove from the water and chill until ready to serve.
• Season the tuna on all sides with salt and pepper and set on a plate.
• Heat a grill pan over high heat and add in the olive oil. Add in the tuna and turn the heat down to medium-high and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes per side until the desired internal temperature is achieved. Remove the tuna and chill until ready to serve.
• Place the romaine lettuce in a bowl or large serving platter and evenly add on the cooked red potatoes, green beans, cooked tuna, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, artichokes, red onions, olives, and anchovies.

Notes

Make-Ahead: You can make this Niçoise salad up to 1 day before. Just be sure it is not yet mixed with the dressing. In addition, it would be best to keep the ingredients separate.

How to Store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator undressed for up to 3 days. This will not freeze. The salad could last 1 to 2 days longer if you keep the topping ingredients store separately.

In addition to Boston bibb and butter leaf lettuce you can use other lettuces like spring mix or Romaine.

It is ok to serve the tuna at any internal temperature.

Optional ingredients you can add to the vinaigrette are 1 tablespoon each of fresh basil, thyme, or tarragon, or ½ peeled and small diced shallot.

Al dente means to the tooth. The vegetables should have a gentle firmness to them.

Nutrition

Calories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 15gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 215mgPotassium: 481mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1860IUVitamin C: 20.9mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1.8mg

Course: Salad

Cuisine: French

Author: Chef Billy Parisi