Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Not a Niçoise Salad

This is most definitely not a Niçoise salad. It does indeed have some of the ingredients you might find in a Niçoise but as I am not from Nice nor do I live in Nice and don't want to get on the wrong side of the Niçoise purists, this is just a salad that happens to have tuna in it.

fresh tuna© by haalo


Not canned tuna but some of this lovely fresh tuna fillet. It will be simply seasoned with salt and pepper and then quickly grilled to leave it still pink in the middle.

The next major ingredient is potato

baby potatoes© by haalo


now these aren't your average baby potatoes, these are beyond small. To give you an indication of size, I put one of the larger ones into a tablespoon

potato© by haalo


See, they are small. These are great, just give them a good wash, then boil and steam until tender and that is it - no need to peel. You can find these at Mow's Potato Stall at Prahran Market.

Along with tomatoes, lettuce, onion, green beans, olives, anchovies and boiled eggs, these all get tossed together with a light dressing to give you this

not a niçoise salad© by haalo


Not a Niçoise Salad

tuna fillet
baby potatoes, boiled/steamed until tender
green beans, boiled/steamed until tender, sliced
salad onion, finely sliced
iceberg or cos lettuce, roughly sliced
olives, stoned and halved
anchovy fillets, chopped finely
baby roma tomates, halved
eggs, 1 per person, boiled and quartered (I like to leave the yolks a little soft)
Vinaigrette made from 1 part vinegar and 3 parts olive oil, seasoned with salt to taste


Drizzle the tuna fillet with a little oil, then season with freshly ground salt and pepper. Heat up a non-stick pan or grill and when hot, add the tuna. Cook until just browned and then turn immediately, brown the other side and then remove from heat. This shouldn't take more than a minute to do but if you like your tuna well-done then continue cooking until it's at preferred level of doneness. Set it aside to rest while you assemble the salad.

Place the lettuce, onion, olives, anchovies, tomatoes, green beans and potatoes in a large bowl and toss well. Drizzle over with the Vinaigrette and then toss again. Scoop this out onto a serving platter. Place the boiled egg quarters around the edge.

Slice the tuna - slice it fine or thick or as I did in this case into mid sized cubes and place it over the top of the salad. Drizzle over with a little more Vinaigrette and serve at once.

Once all the prep work is done it really does make for an easy lunch or dinner option.

3 comments

  1. OMG I want this salad! And those potatoes are absolutely adorable, I've never seen any that small!

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  2. THAT salad is beyond gorgeous! i am so inspired right now to make this for dinner tonight. what a beautiful piece of tuna you have there!!

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  3. Thanks Vicki - they are the cutest, they are baby pinkeyes.

    Thanks Aria - if you can't have sashimi tuna then this isn't too bad ;)

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