Summertime is one of my favorite seasons. Not only are the days warmer and longer, but the seasonal fruit and vegetables are bursting with variety. It’s mid-June now and the cherry tomatoes are ripening on the vine (there is NOTHING better tasting that a sun ripened tomato), the squash is coming in with more than we can possibly eat, and the corn is growing about a foot a day. Summer is such a magical time. One of my favorite meals to make on these hot days when I’m loathe to fire up the oven, is this summer niçoise salad with a French vinaigrette.
First of all, we need to know how to pronounce this dish if we are going to cook it. Niçoise is pronounced “nee-swaaz”. It is a salad that originated in the French riviera city of Nice in the late 19th century and was described as a “simple meal for poor people”. It originally consisted of lettuce, tomatoes, anchovies, and an olive oil vinaigrette. In 1961, Julia Child’s introduced a recipe that contained baby potatoes and green beans in her highly influential cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I’ll stop the history lesson there. Give me history plus food (two favorite topics of mine), and I could go on and on for a while.
The years since this salad’s arrival have given us many variations to this salad; you can add tomatoes, skip the potatoes, add artichokes, swap the kalamata olives with black olives…etc. This niçoise salad is a FULL meal. I like to add potatoes to make it extra hearty (a nod to Julia Child’s creation). I usually top it with a salmon fillet or tuna. Anyways, that’s enough of a recipe introduction. Let’s get to the meal, shall we?
To make things easy, I just fill a large pot halfway up with water and boil everything in the same pot – there’s less to clean that way. I throw in the baby potatoes first for about 15 minutes, then the eggs for another 3 minutes, and finally the green beans for 3 minutes. By the time 20-25 minutes are up, everything is done. This is a great weeknight dinner that can be ready to eat within 30 minutes. My kind of meal!
This French vinaigrette pairs perfectly with fish and really elevates the dish. Trust me when I say it is a mandatory addition to this salad. It is one of my favorite savory vinaigrettes. To me, the dijon mustard addition just elevates it from a simple red wine vinaigrette to a rich and sophisticated dressing that’s perfect over a niçoise salad like this one. It instantly brightens up any dish, and you can use it as either a dressing or a dip (think roasted brussels or carrots dipped into this smooth dijon vinaigrette). This lemony vinaigrette also goes wonderfully over grilled chicken or even as a sandwich spread. The possibilities are endless. Mastering the art of a French vinaigrette is an essential skill to have on hand. Plus, another great thing about this dressing is that it’s easy to store vinaigrette’s for a later meal. Simply keep it in a sealed, glass container and they can last up to two weeks in the fridge.
Well, I think I’ve covered just about everything. Let’s dive into the recipe!
Summer Niçoise Salad with a French Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 lb. baby potatoes
- 10 oz. haricot verts (thin French green beans)
- 2 heads romaine, chopped
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
- 3 Tbsp capers
- 3 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- Kosher salt & Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For the French Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to tase
Optional Toppings
- grilled salmon fillets
- canned tuna
- grilled chicken
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. While you're waiting for the water to boil, start making the vinaigrette.
- To make the vinaigrette, dissolve the salt in the vinegar first by whisking it with a fork in a small bowl, or by shaking the salt and vinegar together in a small mason jar. This is essential to avoid a gritty texture in your vinaigrette. If you add the salt later it will remain as speckles in your vinaigrette. Add all of the rest of the vinaigrette ingredients to the mixture and whisk/shake until everything is well combined. Set aside.
- Once your water has come to a boil, add the baby potatoes into the pot.
- While the potatoes are boiling, wash and chop the romaine and add it to a large salad bowl.
- After the potatoes have boiled for 15 minutes. Add the eggs to the pot. After an additional 3 minutes, add in the green beans to blanche them. Continue boiling everything for an another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- At this point, the potatoes have boiled for about 26 minutes, the eggs for 6 minutes, and the green beans for 3 minutes. Ladle out the hard boiled eggs and place them in a small bowl of ice water. Pour the rest of the pot contents out over a colander, and run cold water over them. Once the potatoes cool, slice them in half. Peel the eggs and slice in half.
- To assemble: Place the halved potatoes, green beans, eggs, olives, and capers over the lettuce. Sprinkle the chopped dill over the salad and top with salmon or tuna if using. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the whole thing. Bon Appétit!
I hope you enjoy this summer niçoise salad recipe. If you end up making it or adding another twist to it – let me know below in the comments. I love it when people get creative in the kitchen. Happy cooking!
Great post!