Salade Niçoise
A sun‑soaked French classic: tender new potatoes, blanched green beans, eggs, tomatoes, anchovies, olives and flaked tuna with a sharp vinaigrette.
Salade Niçoise is a sunlit French thirft — honest, bright and assembled rather than dressed to death. It’s perfect for a relaxed lunch, a light supper or to show off good summer tomatoes.
This version follows the classic idea: warm new potatoes, crisp green beans and eggs teamed with tuna, Niçoise olives and anchovies, all tied together with a sharp mustard vinaigrette. It’s flexible — but don’t drown it in dressing or overcook the beans.
Ingredients
- 600 g new potatoes
- 300 g fine green beans
- 4 free-range eggs
- 200 g tinned tuna in oil — drained weight
- 400 g ripe tomatoes
- 1 small red onion — thinly sliced
- 80 g Niçoise olives — pitted
- 6 salt-packed anchovy fillets — rinsed if very salty
- 30 g capers — drained
- 100 g mixed salad leaves
- 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 30 ml red wine vinegar
- 15 ml Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove — crushed
- 10 g flatleaf parsley — finely chopped
- sea salt — to taste
- freshly ground black pepper — to taste
Equipment
- large saucepan
- colander
- slotted spoon
- large serving platter
- small jar or bowl for dressing
Instructions
Make the dressing: in a small bowl or jar whisk together the red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard, add the crushed garlic clove, then whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil in a steady stream until emulsified. Stir in the chopped flatleaf parsley and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
Cook the new potatoes: place the potatoes (whole if small, halved if larger) in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, add a generous pinch of sea salt and bring to a simmer on the hob. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife, about 18 minutes depending on size. Drain thoroughly.
While the potatoes cook, blanch the fine green beans: bring a second saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the beans and cook for 3 minutes until bright green and still with a little bite. Drain.
Cook the eggs: put the free-range eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 9 minutes for a set but slightly creamy yolk. Remove and run under cold water for 30 seconds, then peel.
Prepare the veg and tuna: halve or quarter the warm potatoes while still slightly warm, halve the ripe tomatoes into wedges, thinly slice the small red onion and flake the tinned tuna into large chunks.
Assemble the salad on a large platter: spread the mixed salad leaves, arrange potatoes, green beans, tomato wedges and tuna evenly. Tuck in the halved eggs, scatter the Niçoise olives, salt-packed anchovy fillets and capers, and scatter the sliced red onion.
Finish and serve: give the dressing a final whisk, drizzle it evenly over the salad (you may not need it all), season with a little extra freshly ground black pepper, scatter the remaining flatleaf parsley and serve straight away.
Tips
- Start the potatoes in cold water so they cook evenly; halving while warm helps them soak up the dressing.
- Blanch beans until just tender-crisp, then drain — don’t let them sit in hot water or the colour and texture suffer.
- If using tinned tuna, drain but don’t pat too dry; a little oil carries flavour and helps the dressing cling.
- Make the dressing ahead and store in a jar — shake vigorously before serving. Dress the salad only at the last minute.
- Rinse anchovies briefly if they look very salty; you can offer extra on the side for anchovy shy guests.
Substitutions
tinned tuna in oil → fresh tuna steak, seared and sliced (around 150–200 g total), served warm
Stays closesalt-packed anchovy fillets → anchovy fillets in oil (use the oil for the dressing) or omit for a milder salad
Stays closenew potatoes → baby potatoes or waxy potatoes such as Charlotte (same weight)
Stays closemixed salad leaves → butterhead lettuce or crisp romaine for a slightly different texture
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 480
- Calories
- 23 g
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 820 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make Salade Niçoise ahead?
You can prepare components in advance — potatoes, dressing and tuna keep well — but assemble and dress within an hour of serving so the leaves stay crisp.
Should the tuna be fresh or tinned?
Both work. Tinned tuna in oil is traditional and convenient; seared fresh tuna makes a slightly more restaurant-style result.
How do I stop the beans and eggs overcooking?
Cook beans briefly (about 3 minutes) and plunge them under cold running water. Remove eggs to cold water straight after the timed boil to stop carryover cooking.
Is anchovy essential?
Anchovies add savoury depth and are traditional, but you can omit them if you dislike them — the salad will be milder but still delicious.
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