NICOISE SALAD

This classic French salad is a combination of hardboiled eggs, tuna, potatoes, black olives, green beans and anchovies, covered in a herbed lemon mustard dressing. With so many different ingredients, it’s substantial enough to serve as an entrée at lunch or as a light dinner.

Yield: Serves 4.

NICOISE SALAD

Ingredients

  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped shallot
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 tsp dried tarragon, crumbled
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 3 anchovies, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 lb (250 g) sushi-grade ahi tuna, 1 inch thick
  • Canola oil*
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 8 small red potatoes
  • 2 1/2 cups green beans, trimmed
  • 2 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup black olives
  • 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered

Directions

  1. ​To prepare dressing, whisk together olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, shallots, mustard, tarragon, salt, pepper, anchovies and garlic until blended; set aside.
  2. Rub both sides of tuna with some oil. Sprinkle lightly with additional salt and pepper.
  3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in large non-stick frypan over medium-high heat. Add tuna and sear on both sides, about 45 – 60 seconds per side for rare tuna.
  4. Transfer tuna to a plate. Cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.
  5. Pour 3 tbsp dressing into a heavy zip-lock plastic bag; reserve and refrigerate remaining dressing. Add tuna to bag and squeeze bag to coat tuna with dressing. Seal bag and place on a plate. Refrigerate, gently turning bag occasionally, for 1 hour.
  6. Meanwhile, cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender; drain. When cool enough to handle, quarter potatoes; set aside.
  7. Cook beans in boiling salted water until tender, about 3 – 4 minutes; drain. Cool immediately in ice water; drain. Cut beans in half lengthwise; set aside.
  8. Remove tuna from refrigerator. Remove tuna from dressing; discard dressing in bag.
  9. Slice tuna into 1/4 inch pieces; set aside.
  10. Combine potatoes, beans, tomatoes, bell pepper and olives in a bowl.
  11. Add 1/2 cup reserved dressing to potato mixture and toss to coat.
  12. Place potato mixture on a large serving dish. Top with tuna and eggs. Serve immediately with remaining reserved dressing.
Nutritional analysis per serving:

702 calories, 53.7 g fat, 27.2 g protein, 28.2 g carbohydrate, 6.7 g fibre, 1164 mg sodium

Tip: Sushi-grade ahi tuna, which may be eaten rare, can be found at specialty fish stores. Sushi-grade ahi tuna should be consumed within 24 hours of purchase. If rare sushi-grade ahi tuna is not desired, tuna may be cooked longer than 45 – 60 seconds per side; cook just until tuna is opaque. If desired, this salad may be topped with a can of chunk light tuna, drained and flaked, instead of seared sushi-grade ahi tuna.