Quick Nicoise Salad Recipes

CLASSIC NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with cold water and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl; drizzle with the wine and let cool. Reserve the saucepan.
• Meanwhile, bring a separate saucepan of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with salted ice water. Add the haricots verts to the boiling water; cook until crisp-tender and bright green, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to cool; drain and pat dry.
• Place the eggs in the reserved saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from the heat and let stand, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, then run under cold water to cool. Peel under cold running water.
• Make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, shallot, mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.
• Toss the tomatoes ian a small bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Add about 1/4 cup dressing to the potatoes and toss. Quarter the hard-cooked eggs.
• Divide the lettuce among 4 plates. Arrange the potatoes, haricots verts, radishes, hard-cooked eggs and tuna on top. Pour any juices from the tomatoes into the dressing, then add the tomatoes to the plates. Drizzle with the dressing and top with the olives.

NIçOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Boil the potatoes for about 4 minutes.
• Remove with a slotted spoon, drain, then slice them in half. (Leave the water in the pot, though; you'll use it for blanching the green beans in a few moments.)
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, with a bit of olive oil until it's quite hot, then place the sliced potatoes in the pan, cut-side down.
• Sear for a minute or two until the potatoes are lightly browned, then remove them from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Toss with kosher salt and set aside.
• Bring the water back to a boil, and add the green beans. Blanch for 2 minutes.
• Remove with tongs to a bowl of ice water to shock them and keep them from cooking further. Drain and dry them with paper towels and set aside.
• Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, and anchovies in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. (The anchovies are salty, so you might not need much additional salt.)
• Place the salad greens in a bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the dressing and toss to coat. Arrange the greens on 4 serving plates or 1 large platter. Distribute the potato halves equally, with the browned sides facing up.
• Toss the green beans, olives, and tomatoes with enough additional dressing to lightly coat them, and arrange them on the salad.
• Divide the tuna and place it in the center of plates. Arrange the hard-boiled egg quarters, then garnish with the fresh parsley and serve. Note: Instead of the vinaigrette, you could serve a Niçoise salad with garlic aioli .

SALAD NICOISE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, parsley, olives, onion, tuna and green beans. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
• In large bowl, toss greens with vinaigrette and top with chilled potato mixture. Garnish with eggs, tomatoes, capers and anchovies.

QUICK NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, until tender, 8-10 minutes, adding green beans during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain potatoes and beans; immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry., In a small bowl, combine salad dressing, lemon zest and pepper. Divide romaine among 4 plates; arrange potatoes, green beans, eggs, tuna and tomatoes over romaine. Serve with dressing mixture.

ANY WAY NIçOISE

Steps:

• Whisk oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, pepper, and 1 tsp. kosher salt in a medium bowl; set dressing aside.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully add eggs and cook 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water (keep pot over high heat); chill until cold, about 5 minutes. Peel; set aside.
• Meanwhile, add green beans, asparagus, or potatoes to the same pot of boiling water and cook until just tender (if you are using a combination, cook vegetables separately), 2-4 minutes for green beans or asparagus, 10-15 minutes for potatoes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl of ice water; let sit until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels; pat dry.
• To serve, slice eggs in half and arrange on a platter with cooked and raw vegetables and protein. Top with pickled-briny ingredient(s), sprinkle with sea salt, and drizzle some reserved dressing over. Serve with remaining dressing alongside.
• Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 5 days ahead; cover and chill. Eggs can be boiled and vegetables blanched 2 days ahead; cover and chill separately.

SALADE NIçOISE

Steps:

• Potatoes: Fill a small saucepan with water. Add potatoes, thyme sprig, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Haricots vert: Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, add a big pinch of salt, followed by haricots verts. Cook until tender with a slight snap, 4-9 minutes depending on size. Eggs: Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, use a spoon to gently ease eggs into the water. Cook exactly 7½ minutes. Meanwhile, prepare two ice baths: Fill two large bowls with water and plenty of ice.
• Scallions: Trim away the very end of the root while keeping scallion intact; remove the thick outer layer. Cut away the dark green top, leaving a 3-inch length of white and light-green scallion. Make several 1-inch vertical cuts down the top to create a scallion "brush." Repeat with all the scallions and place them in an ice bath to preserve freshness. Radishes: Slice each radish lengthwise into thin slices. Set aside.
• When beans are mostly tender with a touch of firmness, use a strainer to transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Remove eggs and place them into the same ice bath. Check potatoes for doneness by piercing one with a knife; there should be no resistance. Remove potatoes and set aside; discard thyme and bay leaf. Peel eggs, slice in half lengthwise, and set aside.
• Assembly: On a serving platter, layer the Boston lettuce, followed by the baby gem. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and distribute evenly, followed by haricots verts, scallions, whole tomatoes, radish, large chunks of tuna, and eggs. Garnish with leaves of basil and chervil.
• Pit olives (optional): Place olives on a flat surface. Press the bottom of a small bowl on the olives to loosen their pits; remove and discard the pits. Scatter the pitted olives over the salad. Next, tuck small bunches of arugula within the lettuce. Finally, finish assembling the salad by laying about 10 anchovies evenly across the top.
• Chef Boulud offers two options for dressing the salad. Lemon & Oil Dressing: Zest lemon evenly over the salad, then sprinkle with lemon juice. Drizzle with olive oil, and finish with pepper and salt. (Note: Use salt with moderation, since the tuna and anchovies are already salted.) Grand-Mère's Vinaigrette: In a bowl, add the sliced garlic and a pinch of salt. Use a fork to mash the garlic into a coarse paste. Add mustard, vinegar, and pepper; stir to combine. Add olive oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly with the fork to emulsify. Add a teaspoon of water at a time, whisking between additions, to thin vinaigrette as desired. Place vinaigrette into a serving dish and serve alongside the salad.

LIGHT AND EASY NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Bring the potatoes to a boil in a largesaucepan of water. Add salt; reduce heat,and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain; let cool slightly.
• Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces;peelany loose skins. Dress with enoughvinaigrette to coat lightly (reserve remainder). Season with salt and pepper.Set potatoes aside.
• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside.Cover eggs with water in a small saucepan; bring to a full boil. After 1 minute,cover and turn off heat. Let stand 6 minutes. Rinse; transfer to ice-water bath.
• Prepare another ice-water bath; setaside. Bring a medium saucepan of waterto a boil; add salt. Blanch green beansuntil crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain;rinse with cold water. Let stand in ice-water bath until cool. Drain; pat dry.
• Peel the eggs, and halve lengthwise.Arrange lettuce, then potatoes, greenbeans, bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber,fennel, tuna, eggs, and olives on a platter.
• Sprinkle with scallion and parsley,and with capers if desired. Drizzle withvinaigrette, and serve with remainder.

CLASSIC NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, shallot, anchovy paste, and capers. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice-water bath in a large bowl, and set aside. Place quail eggs in a medium saucepan, and cover with several inches of cold water. Place the pan, covered, over high heat, stirring occasionally, until just before the water comes to a boil. Uncover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring eggs gently several times to ensure even cooking. Immediately transfer the eggs, with a slotted spoon, to the ice-water bath. Let cool completely, about 5 minutes. Pat one egg dry at a time; peel, and halve. Set aside.
• Fill a medium saucepan with salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook haricots verts until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer beans to the ice-water bath. Drain well, and pat dry. Drizzle with rice-wine vinegar, and set aside.
• Heat a well-seasoned grill pan over high heat. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium-size pot. Cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook until fork-tender, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer potatoes to the ice-water bath. Drain well, and pat dry. Cut in half lengthwise, drizzle with vermouth, and reserve.
• Lightly brush tuna with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place on grill pan, and cook to rare, 1 or 2 minutes per side.
• Toss lettuces with some of the anchovy-caper dressing, and place on large serving platter. In a separate bowl, toss potatoes, haricots verts, and tomatoes with more dressing, and arrange over lettuce.
• Slice tuna very thinly on the diagonal, and arrange over salad. Drizzle tuna with dressing. Garnish salad with quail eggs and nicoise olives.

SALADE NIçOISE

Steps:

• To make the dressing, mash the garlic and anchovy, if using, with a small pinch of salt on a board using the blade of a large knife, or in a pestle and mortar. Combine the paste with the mustard and vinegar, then slowly stir in the tuna oil. Set aside.
• Tip the new potatoes into a large pan of cold salted water, ensuring they're well covered. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the beans and cook for 5 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge into a bowl of iced water to cool. Cook the potatoes for another 5 mins until tender, then drain and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle, halve or quarter them, and toss in a large bowl with 1 tbsp of the dressing. Leave to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, cook the eggs in a second pan of simmering water for 7½ mins, then transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool. Drain the beans and eggs, then peel and halve the eggs.
• Tip the lettuce quarters, cooked beans and olives into the bowl with the potatoes. Add most of the remaining dressing and gently toss. Divide the salad between two bowls, and top with the tomatoes and eggs. Flake over the tuna, then drizzle with the rest of the dressing and season.

SALADE NIçOISE

Steps:

• Whisk first 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
• Arrange bed of lettuce on large platter. Top decoratively with remaining ingredients. Drizzle enough dressing over to moisten. Serve, passing remaining dressing separately.