Hold the anchovies if you like, but this salad is a celebration of the sea
It is a fun dish to assemble, where you can layer in a little bit of what you fancy to create a showstopping salad that is really a meal in itself.
A simple celebration of a handful of ingredients is revealed in the Niçoise salad. A dish of the Mediterranean, Niçoise salad encapsulates the French Riviera and the port town of Nice, alive with the daily trade of fishermen and markets. The original versions were simple: tomatoes, anchovies, and a good drizzle of olive oil, celebrating what’s local and seasonal. While some purists will insist on no cooked vegetables, I embrace the contrast of the raw and the cooked from creamy potatoes and artichokes to briny black olives, ripe tomatoes, green beans blanched until tender but still vibrant, the smoky char of the peppers, and the richness of a creamy yolk of a soft-boiled egg. Tuna? Anchovies? Either, both – depends on if you prefer your Niçoise whispering from the sea or shouting about it, with the anchovies adding a little salty kiss alongside the sweet punch of garlic and basil. A proper Niçoise isn’t just about vegetables thrown together but rather a delicate balance of taste and texture. It is a fun dish to assemble, where you can layer in a little bit of what you fancy to create a showstopping salad that is really a meal in itself.
Like my other salad this week, the classic New York salad the Waldorf (see the recipe here), with the Nicoise you should embrace the classics but let your imagination and your ingredients guide you. Niçoise and Waldorf – two salads, worlds apart, but proof that even a humble salad can be something spectacular.
Nicoise salad
- 1 fresh tuna steak (approximately 300g) roughly 1 inch thick
- 200g green beans, trimmed
- 1 medium bulb fennel
- 2 cloves garlic
- 200g baby potatoes, waxy variety
- 200g ripe heirloom vine-ripened tomatoes
- 4 soft-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
- 1 cup black olives (preferably Niçoise or Kalamata)
- 1 yellow pepper, roasted, peeled, deseeded and cut into strips
- 1 red pepper, roasted, peeled, deseeded and cut into strips
- 4 confit baby artichokes, quartered
- 6 Cantabrian anchovies
- Handful fresh basil
- 200ml olive oil
- 20ml red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Zest of half a lemon
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Method
- Place the potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly, then slice into rounds. Trim the stem end of the beans (I like to leave the tail), peel and slice the fennel and one and a half cloves of garlic. In a separate pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for about 2 minutes before adding the fennel and sliced garlic. Cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes until the beans are tender but still vibrant. Drain and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
- Pick the basil, reserving the leaves and the stalks. Rub the remaining half a garlic clove across the base of a bowl. Cut the tomatoes and add to the bowl, seasoning with salt and a few crushed basil leaves. Allow to macerate for 8 to 10 minutes. Finely chop the half garlic clove with 1 anchovy fillet and place in a small bowl with the Dijon mustard and the red wine vinegar. Whisk in 100ml of olive oil and pour over the tomatoes.
- Season a tray or a dish with the basil stalks (crushed to release more flavour), the zest of ½ lemon, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. Pat the tuna steaks dry and season. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy cast iron pan over high heat. Once hot, add the tuna steaks and sear for about 20 seconds on each side for rare, or longer to suit your preference. Remove from the heat and place the tuna on the seasoned tray, turning it over to coat well. Allow it to rest for 5 to 6 minutes before slicing. Cut the remaining anchovy fillets into strips.
- On a large platter or across individual plates layer the green beans, followed by the potatoes, tomatoes, artichokes, peppers, anchovies, and olives. Halve the soft-boiled eggs and place on top of the salad, seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange the sliced seared tuna on top of the salad. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, garnish with fresh basil leaves, and serve immediately.
Serves 4