Roasted Niçoise Salad With Halibut Recipes

GRILLED HALIBUT NIçOISE WITH MARKET VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Cook eggs in a large saucepan of boiling water 7 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl of ice water; let cool.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Rub halibut with 2 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill, skin side down, until skin is charred and fish is nearly cooked through, 5-8 minutes. Turn and grill just until cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer halibut to a plate and remove skin.
• Toss vegetables with remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender. Time will be different for each vegetable (about 2 minutes for scallions and garlic scapes, 4 minutes for Romano beans, 8-10 minutes for eggplants, 10-15 for potatoes). Transfer to a plate as they are done.
• Carefully peel and halve eggs (yolks will still be a bit loose in the center). Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter and place halibut, grilled vegetables, tomatoes, radishes, and eggs in separate areas on top. Spoon some Green Olive Tapenade over; serve remaining tapenade alongside.

HALIBUT NIçOISE

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water, season generously with salt, and bring to a boil. In the sink, prepare a bowl full of cold water and ice. Add green beans to the pot and cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and transfer to ice water.
• Add potatoes to the pot of hot water and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are fork tender. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Leave the smaller potatoes whole, and halve or quarter any larger ones so they're bite-size.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix olives, anchovy and garlic, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix shallots and rice wine vinegar, and let stand for 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and a few turns of ground black pepper. Drain and add green beans, along with potatoes and tomato wedges, and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Fill a 12-inch skillet with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Crack each egg into a small bowl and fish out any pieces of shell. Slide eggs into the water and poach until white is set and yolk is still soft, about 3 minutes. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of warm water until ready to plate.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof skillet, ideally cast iron, over high heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Pat the halibut dry with a paper towel and season all over with salt and pepper. Add fillets to hot pan, skin-side down, leaving at least 2 inches between each. (Cook fish in 2 pans or in 2 batches if needed.)
• Let fish cook until it releases easily from the pan, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip fillets, add butter to pan and transfer to the oven. After 2 minutes, baste fish with melted butter, then return to oven until it's just cooked through, slightly firm and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Divide lettuce among four plates, and top with dressed beans, potatoes and tomato. Add fish and top each fillet with a poached egg. Drizzle over any extra pan juice from the fish, along with a spoonful of the olive-anchovy mixture. Squeeze lemon juice over each plate and eat immediately.

SALADE NICOISE

Steps:

• Heat a well-seasoned grill pan over high heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, shallot, anchovy paste, and capers. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Set aside. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with several inches of cold water. Place the pan, uncovered, over high heat, stirring occasionally, until just before the water comes to a boil. Cover, turn off the heat, and cook for 12 minutes. Immediately transfer the eggs with a slotted spoon to ice bath. Let cool completely, about 5 minutes. Pat dry, one egg at a time; peel and halve. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath. Fill a medium saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook haricots verts until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer beans, with slotted spoon, to ice bath. Drain well and pat dry. Drizzle with rice wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath. Place potatoes in medium-sized pot. Cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until fork-tender, about 8 minutes. Immediately transfer potatoes with slotted spoon to ice bath. Drain well and pat dry. Cut in half lengthwise. Drizzle with vermouth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Toss lettuces with some of the anchovy-caper dressing and place on large serving platter. Toss potatoes, haricots verts, and cherry tomatoes separately with dressing and arrange over lettuce.
• Arrange tuna over salad and drizzle with dressing. Garnish salad with eggs and Nicoise olives.

NIçOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Make the Niçoise dressing: Combine the garlic, capers, vinegar, and olive oil in a 1-quart jar with a lid. Shake the dressing very well. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving time.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Make the salad: Place the bell pepper under the broiler, about 4 inches from the heating element, for 2 to 3 minutes, checking often so it doesn't burn. When one side is nicely blackened, use tongs to turn the bell pepper until it is evenly blackened on all sides. Remove the bell pepper from the broiler. Alternatively, place the bell pepper directly in the flame of the burner on a gas stove and turn it as each side gets blackened. While it is still hot, place it in a paper bag and let it sweat for 10 minutes. Then work the burned skin off with your fingers. I don't like to rinse the bell pepper under water because it removes the flavorful oil. You'll inevitably be left with a little skin on the pepper, which is fine, but remove as much as possible. Split the bell pepper lengthwise and remove the core and seeds. Slice the flesh into 1/4-inch-wide julienne strips and set aside.
• Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the beans for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are just slightly tender but still nice and green. Drain. Plunge the beans into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and drain again. Set aside.
• Cook the eggs in a 6-quart saucepan of simmering water for 11 minutes. (If you like a slightly wet center, cook for 10 minutes; for a completely cooked egg, try 12 minutes.) Run cold water over the eggs in the saucepan. Remove the eggs from the water and peel them under running water. Cut in half lengthwise and set aside.
• Remove and discard the tough outer leaves and the tough bottom part of the romaine. Split the head lengthwise into sixths with a sharp knife. Wash the romaine wedges, shake out the excess water, and pat the wedges dry with paper towels. Trim the center core, leaving just enough to hold the wedges together. Wrap the wedges in paper towels and refrigerate.
• Trim away the fronds and hollow stalks of the fennel bulb, and cut away the bottom. Cut the bulb in half and remove the center core. Cut the bulb either crosswise or lengthwise into very fine slices. Place the fennel in a bowl with the lemon juice and 2 cups of water. This will keep the fennel from browning. Alternatively, cut the fennel bulb into sixths, removing the center core, and coat with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast or grill the pieces for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender. (You can serve the fennel in this salad hot, at room temperature, or chilled.)
• Arrange the romaine wedges cut side up in the center of a platter. Arrange the green beans, eggs, fennel, artichokes, olives, tomato, and tuna in separate groups around the edges. Arrange the roasted bell peppers around the whole salad.
• Just before serving, drizzle the Niçoise dressing over the salad. Alternatively, pour the dressing into a cruet or pitcher and let guests dress their own salads.