This classic Tuna Nicoise Salad recipe makes an elegant and satisfying meal on a hot sunny day. Tinned tuna, tomatoes, sliced potatoes, black olives, green beans, eggs, and lettuce are lightly dressed with a simple French dressing. A Summer classic that will never go out of favour.
The UK is currently experiencing a late Summer heatwave. It’s 24C in my garden right now and the sky is a beautiful shade of blue. Working in the garden is an absolute pleasure on days like this. I never take it for granted.
My cooking is very much dictated by the weather, so I’m still making Summer salads and quiches that can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for a few days (hello Ratatouille quiche), ready to be eaten cold or reheated for lunches or dinner.
Tuna Nicoise salad recipe
Nicoise salad has always been a favourite of mine. I first tried Delia Smith’s recipe from that classic book everyone seems to own – Delia’s Complete Cookery Course. This is not Delia’s recipe, but it’s quite close.
what is a nicoise salad?
Nicoise salad – or Salade Nicoise – traces its roots back to the city of Nice on the French Riviera, where it has been a popular dish for generations. While the exact origin of this salad is hotly debated, it is generally agreed that it emerged in the late 19th century.
The salad’s name “Niçoise” refers to its place of birth, and it embodies the essence of Mediterranean cuisine, which emphasises simple yet good quality ingredients.
what goes in a nicoise salad?
If you’ve ever visited France, you’ll know there are quite a few variations of a Nicoise salad. It’s a pretty adaptable recipe – you can swap one vegetable for another – for instance, take out the green beans and add artichokes. Sometimes beans are added.
Here’s a quick run down of what I like to include –
- Tinned Tuna. Some recipes use fresh tuna, but let’s be honest – tinned tuna is much more affordable and we’re much more likely to have a tin in the back of the cupboard. I do like to use tinned tuna steak in oil rather than chunks for this salad. A good quality tin of tuna will make such a difference.
- new or baby potatoes – cooked, cooled and sliced
- boiled eggs – I like the whites firm and the yolks to be a little bit jammy in the middle. To achieve this, I boil the eggs for six minutes, then quickly run them under cold running water for 30 seconds. Lift them from the pan and set aside for about 5-10 minutes before peeling. Works for me every time!
- Fresh green beans, topped and tailed. You can use frozen green beans instead.
- Pitted Black olives – Kalamata or Nicoise are perfect for salad. Use your favourite olives and you can’t go wrong!
- tomatoes and crunchy lettuce, such as romaine or little gem
- Anchovies – These small, oily fish are a key ingredient in a Nicoise salad. They add a briny, salty kick that I can’t get enough of. However, anchovies are very much a love or hate thing, so you don’t have to include them if you aren’t a fan.
- The salad is dressed with a simple but tasty French dressing made from fresh garlic, mustard, oil, red or white wine vinegar and salt and pepper.
recipe notes
- The first thing you should do when making a Nicoise salad is cook your potatoes. They will need time to cool down properly so you can slice them. If I’m making the salad for dinner, I often do this in the morning.
- As I’ve mentioned above, using high quality ingredients will make the best Nicoise salad. For me, this means good canned tuna in oil, ripe, flavoursome tomatoes and tasty olives.
- I don’t use onions in Nicoise salad, but I quite like a scattering of freshly snipped chives if I have any.
can you make Nicoise salad in advance?
You could make Nicoise salad a few hours in advance, but it’s better not to dress the salad until you’re ready to eat it or it will turn soggy.
Having said that, I’ve often eaten leftovers the next day for Lunch! But for best results, you need to prepare the salad just before you intend to serve it.
If it makes life easier, the potatoes, green beans and eggs can be made up to a day in advance and stored in the fridge.
more salad recipes for summer
- Watermelon, feta and mint salad
- Chicken Cobb salad
- strawberry and grilled goat’s cheese salad
- peach, prosciutto and Burrata salad
did you make this recipe?
I hope you enjoy it! Let me know by leaving a comment below and please consider rating the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card.
Tuna Nicoise Salad
There are many variations of a classic French Tuna Nicoise Salad. This is my version. Tinned tuna, green beans, hard boiled eggs, black olives, tomatoes, anchovies and crunchy lettuce with a simple and delicious French dressing.
Ingredients
- six new potatoes
- 70g Green beans, topped and tailed
- 2 large eggs
- One romaine lettuce, washed and sliced
- 150g (or as close as you can get to that amount) can tuna steak in olive oil, drained
- 50g pitted black olives
- 8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half (or use 4 regular tomatoes)
- 50g anchovy fillets
- FOR THE FRENCH DRESSING
- 1/2 clove garlic, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon rock salt
- 1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon (or more if you like) fresh chives
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 20-25 minutes or until they have softened. Add the green beans to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon. Plunge the beans into very cold water, then drain and set aside. When the potatoes are soft, drain and set aside to cool down. Alternatively, you can cook the potatoes and green beans with a steamer, but they take a little longer to cook.
- Boil the eggs in another pan for six minutes, then drain the pan, fill it with very cold water and leave the eggs immersed for 30 seconds. Remove the eggs from the water and leave for 5-10 minutes before peeling.
- To make the French dressing, place the garlic and rock salt in a medium bowl. Using something heavy (I use the end of a rolling pin) or a fork, mash the garlic and salt to a smooth paste. Stir in the mustard and vinegar, then slowly whisk in the olive oil, followed by the vegetable or sunflower oil. If it looks like it may separate, keep whisking! Add salt and black pepper to taste. If the dressing tastes too sharp, add a pinch of sugar.
- Slice the now cold potatoes and cut the eggs in half. Assemble the lettuce on large serving plate. Drizzle with a little dressing. Break the tuna up into large chunks and place on top of the lettuce, followed by the olives, tomatoes, potato slices and anchovies. Add some more dressing (you might not need all of it but it will keep in the fridge for a week), sprinkle over the chives and serve with fresh bread and a glass or two of chilled white or Rose wine.
Notes
The potatoes, green beans and eggs can be cooked up to 24 hours in advance, if necessary.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 768Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 35gCholesterol: 241mgSodium: 2116mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 8gSugar: 9gProtein: 41g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
My all time favorite salad! YUM!!!❤️
So good! 😀