I made this with unauthentic substitutions but still liked it: diced canned tomatoes (high quality), turnip instead of radish, jalapeno instead of green pepper, kalamata instead of nicoise olives. I know it wasn't Salad Nicoise, but it was good.
Salade Niçoise
Credit: Antoine Bootz
The traditional version of Nice's classic salad uses no lettuce, no cooked vegetables, no vinegar. And remember that the Niçois would never dream of making their salad with fresh tuna: This is a dish based on preserved fish.
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely
chopped
8 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 4-oz. cans oil-packed top-quality tuna, well drained
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered
8 anchovies
4 fresh chives, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 cup niçoise olives
Extra-virgin olive oil, preferably French
1. Divide tomatoes, bell peppers, radishes, tuna, and eggs equally among four plates, arranging them attractively, working from the outside in.
2. Garnish each plate with 2 anchovy filets. Sprinkle with chives and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scatter olives evenly over the salads and drizzle with olive oil just before serving.
Ratings & Reviews (2)
I have been living part-time in Nice for 10 years and, in my world, Salade Niçoise usually contains lettuce, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, anchovies, Niçoise olives, cooked green beans, white (or red) onions and vinaigrette (oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper - whipped into a creamy emulsion. I've never had one that didn't have lettuce or one that included green 'Bell' pepper, chives or radish. Sometimes tuna (preserved in olive oil, of course) is replaced with seared, freshly caught tuna (Nice is a port city, after all) Salade Niçoise is more often than not, presented as a 'salade composé ' - artistically arranged on the plate. It is as a work of art - not a 'salad', as such.
Salade Niçoise
3
5
2
