Nicoise salad, of course, is just a salad as done in Nice. The main idea is fish and vegetables, served at room temperature and "composed" -- that is, arranged on the plate rather than tossed. One can vary the ingredients, but the classic Nicoise centers on tuna and usually includes potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Nicoise olives, haricots verts (the thin French green beans), and anchovies.
I know many people think they don't like anchovies, but if you can get really high quality anchovies instead of the mush usually found at the grocery store you might be surprised. Texture and flavor are much improved by draining the filets on a paper towel. The anchovies can be omitted or served on the side for the timid, but they are very much a classic ingredient. Anchovies are considered a great delicacy in Mediterranean countries.The best tuna for this is the canned French or Spanish tuna packed in olive oil. You can substitute any canned tuna,other types of green beans for the haricots verts, or other brined black olives for the Nicoise olives, but -- as with omitting the anchovies -- the result will be a less distinctive salad. I also sometimes have substituted poached or grilled salmon or tilapia for the tuna, and I like to add capers, red bell pepper, and green onions. The proportions of each ingredient are up to individual taste. A nice crusty French roll is all you need to accompany the salad.
This is a really great dish for entertaining, for a luncheon or a casual supper on a hot summer evening. The cooking and marinating and chopping and slicing can be done the day before. And because all the ingredients are served at room temperature, the plates can be composed and placed at each setting on the table before guests arrive. As the guests are gathering it's nice to have a chilled soup -- like tomato bouillon or cream of carrot -- served in demitasses with cheese straws, and this makes a nice and easy first course. For dessert, something creamy like a chocolate mousse.
Nicoise Salad
Bibb or Boston lettuce
haricots verts
new potatoes
eggs
red bell pepper
green onion
tuna
anchovies
capers
Nicoise olives
vinaigrette
Halve or quarter the potatoes, depending on their size, then boil the haricots verts and potatoes separately until just tender enough to cut with a fork. Place into separate bowls and toss with vinaigrette (see recipe below). Allow to marinate for about 20 minutes to one hour.
Boil the eggs, then slice (or quarter if you prefer).
Drain anchovies on a paper towel.
Slice red bell pepper into thin strips.
Cut heads and ends off of the green onions.
Arrange each plate as follows:
A leaf of lettuce in the center, on which is placed the tuna in a mound. The anchovies are then draped across the tuna, usually two anchovies in a cross. The capers then sprinkled around the mound of tuna.
In a circle around the tuna and lettuce, alternate the haricots verts and potatoes. At the top of the plate arrange the eggs, at the bottom the olives, on one side the red pepper strips, and on the other side the green onions.
The effect should be two circles surrounding the mound of tuna.
The salad may be dressed with vinaigrette before serving, but I like to pass the dressing so each person can have as much or as little as desired.
Vinaigrette:
3 parts olive oil
1 part vinegar
(garlic chopped or pressed, if desired)
(Dijon mustard, if desired)
salt, to taste
white pepper, to taste
Although a simple vinaigrette is the traditional dressing for Nicoise Salad, if you decide to used poached or grilled salmon instead of the tuna I think this Green Goddess dressing would be delicious as a sauce on the salmon. It seems a little rich for tilapia.I would stick with the vinaigrette for the vegetables, but have some of the Green Goddess on the table to drizzle on the vegetables if desired (it makes a good dip for blanched vegetables, too). I first made this when I lived in Austin in the 90s, and we all liked it so much we ate it on everything we could think of -- even sandwiches!
I know, again with the anchovies! But you really can't taste them in this. They just add a certain depth of flavor, like a bay leaf does in a stew. Please don't omit them!
Craig Claiborne's Green Goddess Dressing
2 ounces flat anchovies, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine ingredients in the container of an electric blender and blend for two seconds, or beat thoroughly with a rotary beater. Chill, and use on salad greens, chilled seafood, or hard-boiled eggs (or anything else that sounds good!).
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