Salade Niçoise with Tuna, Jammy-Firm Eggs and New Potatoes
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
A classic French composed salad of flaked tuna, jammy-firm eggs, tender new potatoes and green beans, all tied together with a bright lemon and herb vinaigrette.
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Method
- 1
Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the lemon juice, shallot, thyme, basil, mustard powder and pepper in a bowl or jam jar, leaving out salt since the tuna, anchovies, olives and capers will bring plenty on their own. Then whisk or shake in the olive oil until it turns thick and glossy. Letting the shallot sit in the acid for a few minutes takes the raw edge off it.
- 2
Cook the eggs. Cover the eggs by 2-3cm of cold water in the small saucepan, bring to the boil, then take the pan off the heat, cover with the lid and leave for 10 minutes. Lift the eggs into the iced water for 5 minutes before peeling and quartering. Cooking off the heat like this sets the whites firmly while keeping the yolks soft and jammy, without the grey ring that overcooking causes.
- 3
Cook the potatoes. Put the potatoes into the large pot with 3 litres of cold water and the salt, bring to the boil and cook for 6-9 minutes until a knife slides in easily. Lift them out with the slotted spoon, keeping the water for the beans, and toss the warm potatoes with 3 tbsp of vinaigrette straight away. Starting them in cold water and dressing them while warm means they soak up far more flavour than they would once cooled.
- 4
Blanch the beans. Boil the beans in the same potato water for 3-5 minutes until just tender with a bit of bite left. Drain into the iced water immediately to stop them cooking, then drain well again. The quick plunge into ice keeps their colour bright green and stops them turning soft and khaki.
- 5
Build the base. Toss the lettuce with 3 tbsp of vinaigrette and spread it over the platter as your base. Break the tuna into large flakes, toss with 3 tbsp of vinaigrette and mound it in the centre. Toss the tomato wedges and red onion with 2 tbsp of vinaigrette and arrange them in loose groups around the tuna alongside the potatoes, beans and egg quarters.
- 6
Finish and serve. Scatter the olives, anchovies and capers over the top, if using, then drizzle over the last of the vinaigrette. Taste a potato or a piece of tuna before deciding whether it needs any extra seasoning, since the anchovies, olives and capers vary a lot in saltiness. Serve the salad right away while the potatoes are still warm and the lettuce is crisp.
Storage
Best eaten right after assembling. If needed, keep the dressed components separate in the fridge for up to 1 day; once combined, eat within a few hours as the lettuce wilts quickly. This salad isn't suitable for freezing. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- small saucepan with lid
- large pot (at least 4 litres)
- slotted spoon
- 2 medium bowls
- large bowl of iced water
- whisk or jam jar
- large flat platter
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 602 kcal |
| Protein | 36.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 40.4 g |
| of which sugars | 7.6 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.4 g |
| Fat | 33.7 g |
| of which saturates | 6 g |
| Fibre | 7.5 g |
| Salt | 2.5 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
6.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
