NICOISE SALADS WITH A TWIST + WHY YOU SHOULD LOVE IT

Niçoise Salads

The Niçoise salad has been described as a poor people's dish since the late 19th century.  As far back as 1903 the salad appeared in a recipe book, La Cuisine à Nice. 

Nicoise Salad- Paloma Beach, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, France

I love this salad for many reasons, the top of the list of course, is that it reigns from my absolutely favorite city in the world, Nice, France.  But the true reason I decided to bring this jewel of a recipe back across the globe with me and incorporate it into my cooking rotation, is that it is approachable, simplistic to make and a real show stopper! 

Nicoise salad is lends itself to easy entertaining because it is somewhat effortless, the ingredients are easily sourced and it can be style elegantly, due to the composed nature of its plating. This is why I say you should absolutely love this salad and the versatility of the dish.

For many years, decades in fact, the Niçoise salad has been a point of contention for many foodies, chefs and traditional cuisine coneissurs alike. Traditionalists and innovators often disagree as to which ingredients should and should not be included in the Niçoise Salad, or, salade niçoise.

Those who rely upon tradition disagree with the addition of cooked vegetable to the salad and believe that the salad should include a variety of seasonal vegetables such as  raw red peppers, shallots, artichoke hearts. The traditional recipe also calls for anchovies.  My thought on this is that anchovies can be a hit or miss depending on which ones are purchased, so when in doubt, leave it out and add in some salt in another way. 

I have created a version of the salad, which I definitely took liberties on, but I think that is what makes it great and authentic to my kitchen, with a little nod to Nice at the same time! 

Check out the recipe and let me know what you think about it in the comments below!

 RECIPE:

Nicoise Salad with a twist

INGREDIENTS // INGRÈDIENTS

4 small white potatoes

4 radishes

1/4 cup cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup black olives

10 ounces haricots verts or thin green beans

6 ounces of fresh tuna or fish of choice

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 shallot minced

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 tablespoon thyme

Mixed greens

Kosher salt and Black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS // ÈTAPES

Boil small white potatoes over medium-low heat until they are soft enough to be pierced with fork. Toward the end of boiling the potatoes, place trimmed radishes in the boiling water. 

Flash boil the green beans and rinse is cold water upon removal.

On a serving tray place each ingredient in clusters. Having dressing on the side to pour on individual plates in desired quantities.

Dressing: Whisk the vinegar, shallot, mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.

*Note- to make this a bit more traditional, boil some eggs- medium and cut them in quarters and top your salad with them.

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