The French Riviera has been a magnet attracting travelers from all over the world for centuries. Renowned for its grace and exceptional climate, café terraces on narrow streets spill over with people happily drinking, taking in the astonishing architecture and panoramic Mediterranean seaside views. And nothing says “I’m on vacation” like a two-hour, three-glasses-of-rosé lunch. The key is finding a dish whose prep won’t eat into valuable dozing-off-while-reading-a-book time. Enter this salad.
For those of you who might be unfamiliar with this classic Niçoise salad, it originated in the South of France using ingredients that are commonly found in the markets around Nice. It’s informally known as the impromptu composed salad. The regional flavors are what make this casual dish come alive. Salty, bold olives and fish contrasted with a spritz of tart lemon and rich golden olive oil – it’s a beautiful mélange of texture and flavor that we can’t get enough of. Its effortless sophistication is what defines the French and their food. Can you say Oh La La?
I was lucky to spend a summer in France where meals consisted of backyard harvesting of lemons and herbs and served under bougainvillea-draped pergolas. There were day trips to Italy and Monaco and many hours just soaking in the mountainous terrain. Like most of you during self-isolation, my thoughts have been consumed by wanderlust. Tonight, a friend and I recounted personal stories of travel and mused about our next adventure. After dinner, we watched Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina whose line “I have learned how to live, how to be IN the world and OF the world, and not just to stand aside and watch. And I will never, never again run away from life,” seemed particularly fortuitous.
While I wish we were enjoying this delicious dinner in the south of France, I appreciated our 6’ apart but still together time right now. However, a girl can still daydream. Maybe next summer, s'il vous plait!
Niçoise Salad featuring FishWife's Classic Smoky Trio
INGREDIENTS
For the Salad:
- 16 oz baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes
- 12 oz green beans, stems removed
- 6 large eggs
- 16 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced into halves
- 1 large English cucumber, sliced into discs
- 6 oz pitted Nicoise olives (you can substitute Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives if I can't find Nicoise)
- 2-3 cans tinned fish (I used FishWife's Classic Smoky Trio of salmon, trout, and tuna), drained
- 10 oz marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- 1/4 cup capers, drained
- Fresh chives for garnish
For the Dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup aged red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 small shallot, minced
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Halve potatoes and place them on a cookie sheet. Coat potatoes with extra-virgin oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the center of the oven and cook for 25-30 min or until cooked through.
- Prep 2 ice baths with ice and very cold water, one in a large bowl for the green beans and one in a medium bowl for the eggs. Reserve to the side.
- While the potatoes cook, bring a medium pot of water to boil. Once the water reaches boiling, gently lower your eggs into the water with a slotted spoon and cook for 6 ½ minutes (set that timer!), adjusting the heat to maintain a gentle boil if necessary. Once the timer goes off, carefully remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into your reserved medium ice bath to chill for 2 minutes or more. Crack, peel, and slice each egg in half. Reserve to the side until ready to plate.
- In another large pot over medium-high heat, add 3 quarts of water, and 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt. Carefully transfer the green beans to the pot of boiling water (I find it safest to do this with tongs) and allow to cook for 2 minutes, then remove the pan from heat and carefully transfer the green beans immediately to the reserved ice bath to cool.
- For the Dijon Vinaigrette, combine all ingredients together. If you desire, you can blitz it in a blender for a few seconds. I like to keep mine as is.
- On a large platter, compose your salad as desired. I prefer to start with green beans fanning out at either end as they are hearty and can handle other things layering on top. Then plate the potatoes, cucumber, olives, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts. I like to place the fish close to the center so it's easy to grab a bit of it from any side of the platter. Drizzle everything with the Dijon Vinaigrette and finish with a sprinkle of fresh chives and capers.
