Here is a simple, tasty French Salade Niçoise recipe that you will love! One of my all-time favorite salads that is full of protein and with lots of good veggies. It is simple to make yet impressive to serve and is perfect for picnics or long lunches in the sun. It is a guilt-free lunch that represents the French Riviera. With each bite I can imagine myself back in Nice, sitting at a Beach restaurant, enjoying a meal seaside with a chilled glass of Rosé.
Le Chef makes one of the best Niçoise salads I have ever tasted, (hint, his secret is basil!) and it was one of his most popular dishes when he was Executive Chef of Le Meridien Nice. While he is a traditionalist when it comes to his Salade Niçoise ( meaning no green beans or potatoes) I often sneak them into our homemade salads for a heartier dish. The result is a delicious Niçoise that takes the best of Le Chef’s traditional French Riviera Cuisine recipe and adapts it to what we can find easily in the USA.
Frequently asked questions about La Salade Niçoise:
Very simply – it is a healthier version of what is commonly known as French cuisine. Rooted in the Mediterranean diet , the food of the French Riviera is a mix of Provençal, Italian, Greek, North African and French cuisines. It is inspired by the sun and the Mediterranean sea and features lots of seasonal fruits and vegetables, fish, and olive oil. Preferred cooking methods are oven baked or poached and the iconic ingredients of northern French cuisine, butter and cheese, are seldom used. The most common seasonings are rosemary, thyme, herbes de Provence, as well fresh lemon or orange zest.
An authentic Salade Niçoise, as described by Guy Gedda, Le Pape de la Cuisine Provençale, or the “Pope of Provencal Cuisine” incudes lettuce, tomatoes, eggs, green onion, anchovies, tuna, Niçois olives , artichokes, and lemon. Potatoes and green beans are not included in an authentic or traditional Salad Niçoise, however it does create for a more complete meal and tastes delicious!
La Salade Niçoise comes from the Capital city of the French Riviera, Nice, France. The mediterranean coastal city is situated between Cannes and Monte Carlo and has culinary influences from neighboring Italy as well as Provence. La Salade Niçoise is one of the French Riviera’s most popular culinary exports.
Le Chef’s Wife French Salade Niçoise Recipe for 2
Shopping list:
- 1 head of butter lettuce
- 2 eggs
- 1 bunch of green beans
- 1 can of tuna (the best you can find)
- 10 Niçois olives (or Kalamata if you don’t have access to the Niçois kind)
- 1 Shallot finely chopped
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 8 radishes ( preferably the long French kind but regular garden radishes work well too) sliced thinly
- 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 a cucumber, sliced
- 1 bunch fresh chopped basil (or else pesto if you don’t have fresh basil for the vinaigrette)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
- (optional: sardines or capers to garnish. I love capers but don’t like sardines on my Niçoise though Le Chef does)
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Preparation:
Put 3 pots of water on the stove to boil. 1 big one for the potatoes, 2 medium pots for the green beans and the eggs.
Cooking times:
Eggs: For just slightly hardboiled (with a bright yellow yoke that is hard) add the eggs to boiling water and let boil for 8.5 minutes. For medium boiled eggs I leave them for 6-7 minutes. I personally prefer my yokes a little runny. Drain out the hot water and cover the eggs with ice cubes so that they stop cooking.
Potatoes: Put the potatoes in cold , salted water (skin on), bring to a boil. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes depending on the size. You should be able to stick a fork in them easily without them crumbling apart. Drain out the water and leave to chill.
Green beans: Bring water to a full boil. Add a pinch of Salt. Add the green beans ( with the tops snapped off). Let boil for 5 minutes so that they are still slightly crunchy. Quickly drain out the water and then put ice cubes over the green beans to chill them. This keeps their bright green color.
Begin assembling your Niçoise Salad while the cooked ingredients chill. (Note: the cooked ingredients can be made the day before and kept in the fridge as well)
Le Chef’s Classic Basil Vinaigrette:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
- pinch of coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons of fresh copped basil or 1 tablespoon of pesto
**Le Chef’s tip for a great salad is seasoning the individual ingredients before composing the salad.**
Toss the green beans in a little vinaigrette. Place the green beans on a bed of lettuce and then add the tuna to the bowl to soak up the remainder of the vinaigrette. Toss the tuna with the finely chopped shallots. Assemble your ingredients one by one. I like to lay salad on the bottom, then pile the green beans in the center with the tuna on top. Around the sides I like to display the quartered tomatoes, eggs, potatoes, radishes and cucumber slices as pictured below. I spread the olives around the center and add a sprinkle of green onions, capers and more basil on top. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the top. Serve with a fresh baked baguette and a glass of Rosé for the have the perfect French Riviera lunch.
Other French Riviera Recipes by Le Chef’s Wife you might enjoy:
Roasted Plum and Goat Cheese Salad
French Baguettes for beginners (the easiest, quickest recipe ever!)
Let me know what you are cooking, mes amis!
Au plaisir,
Le Chef’s Wife
French Salade Niçoise Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: starters, salads
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The Best salad to come out of the South of France, in my opinion. Serve with a fresh baked baguette and a glass of Rosé for the perfect French Riviera lunch.
Ingredients
Le Chef’s Wife French Salade Niçoise Recipe for 2
- 1 head of butter lettuce
- 2 eggs
- 1 bunch of green beans
- 1 can of tuna (the best you can find)
- 10 Niçois olives (or Kalamata if you don’t have access to the Niçois kind)
- 1 Shallot finely chopped
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 8 radishes ( preferably the long French kind but regular garden radishes work well too) sliced thinly
- 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 a cucumber, sliced
- 1 bunch fresh chopped basil (or else pesto if you don’t have fresh basil for the vinaigrette)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
- (optional: sardines or capers to garnish. I love capers but don’t like sardines on my Niçoise though Le Chef does)
Instructions
It is worth noting that 90% of these ingredients were in my CSA order this week – fresh and in season!
Preparation:
Put 3 pots of water on the stove to boil. 1 big one for the potatoes, 2 medium pots for the green beans and the eggs.
Cooking times:
Eggs: For just slightly hardboiled (with a bright yellow yoke that is hard) add the eggs to boiling water and let boil for 8.5 minutes. For medium boiled eggs I leave them for 6-7 minutes. I personally prefer my yokes a little runny. Drain out the hot water and cover the eggs with ice cubes so that they stop cooking.
Potatoes: Put the potatoes in cold , salted water (skin on), bring to a boil. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes depending on the size. You should be able to stick a fork in them easily without them crumbling apart. Drain out the water and leave to chill.
Green beans: Bring water to a full boil. Add a pinch of Salt. Add the green beans ( with the tops snapped off). Let boil for 5 minutes so that they are still slightly crunchy. Quickly drain out the water and then put ice cubes over the green beans to chill them. This keeps their bright green color.
Begin assembling your Niçoise Salad while the cooked ingredients chill. (Note: the cooked ingredients can be made the day before and kept in the fridge as well)
Making the Vinaigrette:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
- pinch of coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons of fresh copped basil or 1 tablespoon of pesto
**Le Chef’s tip for a great salad is seasoning the individual ingredients before composing the salad.**
Toss the green beans in a little vinaigrette. Place the green beans on a bed of lettuce and then add the tuna to the bowl to soak up the remainder of the vinaigrette. Toss the tuna with the finely chopped shallots. Assemble your ingredients one by one. I like to lay salad on the bottom, then pile the green beans in the center with the tuna on top. Around the sides I like to display the quartered tomatoes, eggs, potatoes, radishes and cucumber slices as pictured below. I spread the olives around the center and add a sprinkle of green onions, capers and more basil on top. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the top. Serve with a fresh baked baguette and a glass of Rosé for the perfect French Riviera lunch.
Notes
**Le Chef’s tip for a great salad is seasoning the individual ingredients before composing the salad.**
La Salade Niçoise is the perfect dish to bring to serve at a picnic or BBQ or when you are having a nice lunch with friends. It is healthy yet filling and is impressive to serve.
Plating La Salade Niçoise: I like to lay salad on the bottom, then pile the green beans in the center with the tuna on top. Around the sides I like to display the quartered tomatoes, eggs, potatoes, radishes and cucumber slices as pictured below. I spread the olives around the center and add a sprinkle of green onions, capers and more basil on top. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the top.
Keywords: Niçoise Salad, Salade Niçoise, Nicois salad, french salads
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