Salade Nicoise
This updated recipe for the classic French salad calls for grilled salmon fillet, but you can use grilled ahi tuna if you prefer. Make sure that each ingredient is of the highest quality, and you will sit down to a simple yet stellar brunch, lunch or light summer supper for two.
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette:
- 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
- 3 to 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the salad:
- 6 small new potatoes
- 1 handful haricots verts, trimmed
- 1 handful mixed salad greens, about 2 1/2 to 3 oz. (75 to 90 g)
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) mixed tomatoes, cut into slices, wedges or halves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and halved
- 15 niçoise olives, rinsed and pitted
- 1 small wedge red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed in cold water and patted dry
- Olive oil for brushing
- 6 oz. (185 g) center-cut salmon fillet
Directions
To make the vinaigrette, in a jar, combine the vinegar with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and shake until well blended. Set aside.
To make the salad, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the potatoes and cook just until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a colander and let drain, then set aside to cool. Add the haricots verts to the boiling water and cook until tender but firm, 3 to 5 minutes, then drain in the colander and let cool.
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. Brush and oil the grill grate. (Alternatively, preheat a stove-top grill pan over medium-high heat.)
Place the greens in a salad bowl and drizzle with the vinaigrette, reserving some of the vinaigrette for drizzling on the salmon. Divide the dressed greens evenly between two plates. Lightly salt the tomatoes. Place small piles of the potatoes, haricots verts, tomatoes, egg quarters, olives, onion slices and anchovies on the plates, dividing them evenly and leaving room for the salmon.
Brush the salmon all over with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the fish over the hottest part of the fire, turning once, until it is opaque throughout and flakes when prodded with a fork, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
Divide the salmon evenly between the plates. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and serve. Serves 2.
Adapted from Williams Sonoma Newlywed Cookbook (Weldon Owen, 2016)
