Friends, today I am offering you a recipe that, just like word-of-mouth, was suggested to me by a friend who in turn discovered its existence thanks to another friend of hers! Well, you know how these things happen when women get together!? They exchange ideas, suggestions, advice, and the result is always very stimulating and particularly constructive. In this case, thanks to them, I got to know the Niçoise salad, in French salade niçoise, a typical dish of the French Riviera and particularly of Nice. However, this salad has now spread throughout the Mediterranean area, albeit with many variations. The most well-known version in Italy, for example, is the Ligurian one called condiglione. Undoubtedly, the common denominator is always a fresh dish, perfect in summer for a lunch or dinner when temperatures start to rise! The undisputed stars are the green beans, now already available at fruit and vegetable markets, but also green salad, potatoes, tuna, tomatoes, eggs, sometimes anchovies, and much more, dressed with a generous dose of vinaigrette made of extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. In short, it’s a salad, but with undisputable protein intake and a rich taste that gives this dish a much broader definition of simple side dish! In short, a triumph of colors and flavors, a nutritious and balanced meal that elevates it to an appetizer if not even a main course! Take it with you to the beach, on a picnic outdoors, or perhaps to enjoy in the garden when you don’t feel like cooking much, because, apart from a few ingredients, everything can be quickly cut and added raw!
If salads are your daily bread, try these rich and tasty alternatives, all to discover:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Steam, Boil
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients:
- 14 oz green beans
- 1/2 head lettuce
- 7 oz cherry tomatoes
- 3 potatoes (medium)
- 1 cucumber
- 10 radishes
- 2 carrots
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 5 oz tuna in water (drained weight)
- 8 cherry mozzarella balls
- 6 black olives
- 6 green olives in brine
- to taste dried oregano
- A few leaves basil
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 pinch salt
Tools:
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; buying them through my blog helps support me and my work, while costing you nothing extra!
- 1 Knife
- 3 Bowls
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Steamer
- 1 Salad Bowl
- 1 Jar
Steps:
Start by washing and trimming the green beans.
Wash, squeeze the lettuce well, and cut it into julienne strips.
Also take care of the radishes, washing them and removing the stem.
Cut them into very thin slices using a knife.
Once cooled, shell the hard-boiled eggs and cut them into 4 parts.
Peel the carrots, cut them into ribbons using a potato peeler, and cut the cucumber into rounds.
Wash and cut the cherry tomatoes into slices or wedges.
Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into cubes. Steam them along with the green beans or alternatively, boil them in plenty of unsalted water for about 15 minutes from boiling, but I recommend sticking a fork to evaluate the degree of doneness you prefer. In any case, they should not be overcooked, but more al dente.
Compose your salad, placing the lettuce at the base of a large salad bowl, the broken green beans and now cold potatoes, carrot ribbons, cherry tomatoes, radishes, hard-boiled eggs, and complete with pitted olives, well-drained tuna fillets, and mozzarella balls. Garnish with basil leaves, a sprinkle of oregano to taste, and season with the vinaigrette, mixing the oil and vinegar with a pinch of salt inside a jar. You just need to shake it for a few seconds and pour it directly into the salad.
And voilà…your Niçoise salad is ready to be enjoyed!
Storage
The Niçoise salad can be assembled in advance and stored in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for up to 2 days, to be dressed at the last minute.
Tips, Notes, Variations, and Suggestions
🟣 Like any traditional recipe, the ingredients that make up the Niçoise are well-defined, but there are several variants based on the cities of southern France. The base, on which everyone agrees, are the green beans and the lettuce. Then there must be hard-boiled eggs cut into four wedges, tomatoes, a handful of black olives, and tuna in oil. As for the addition of bell pepper, there are debates between those who add it and those who do not, and if added, some say it should be raw. In other variations you will also find anchovies in oil, the cucumber, which immediately got my approval for the touch of freshness it gives to the whole, or even broad beans or radishes.
🟣 You can still customize this dish with Italian touches, why not, for example, by adding rings of red Tropea onion or Pantelleria capers, or even replacing the tomatoes with cherry tomatoes from Pachino, etc.
