Tuna Niçoise Salad

Celebrate the flavours of summer with this hearty tuna Nicoise salad.

This modern version of the popular French salad combines the best summer vegetables with creamy new potatoes and hearty canned tuna for a refreshing and satisfying meal. 

What is a Niçoise Salad?

A Nicoise salad (called Salade Niçoise in French) is a composed salad from the French coastal city of Nice, built around the flavours that define its cuisine: tomatoes, olive oil, and anchovies.

"Composed" just means the ingredients are arranged nicely on a platter rather than tossed together, which makes it as beautiful to look at as it is to eat.

Traditionally, the salad contains no boiled vegetables, and some people still feel quite strongly about this.

Over time, though, culinary experts like Auguste Escoffier and Julia Child popularized the addition of boiled potatoes and green beans.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This recipe for salad nicoise with canned tuna is very flexible, so feel free to omit and add ingredients to suit your preferences.

If you want to make a traditional Nicoise salad, you can leave out the boiled potatoes and green beans. I prefer to add them as they turn this salad into a hearty main course for summer.

• Baby potatoes: I love the look of small, colourful potatoes, but any waxy variety works. For larger potatoes, Yukon Golds are ideal. Avoid starchy types like Russets as they won't hold their shape.
• Eggs: I used large eggs.
• Green beans: Haricots verts (French green beans) are a great choice for this recipe. They're thinner, more tender, and cook faster than regular string beans. However, they can be difficult to find, so I often use regular green beans.
• Cucumber: I've made this recipe with large English cucumbers and small Persian cucumbers, and both are delicious.
• Tomatoes: Any tomato you'd happily eat raw works here. I've made this recipe with cherry tomatoes, Campari tomatoes and large slicer tomatoes.
• Olives: True Nicoise olives are hard to find where I live in Canada. I use Kalamata olives instead.
• Canned tuna: Choose canned tuna packed in olive oil for the best texture and flavour.
• Anchovy fillets: I prefer to put these in the dressing to evenly distribute the flavour. If you love anchovies, you can add whole anchovies to the top of the salad if you like. Not a fan of whole anchovies? Omit them or substitute 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste instead.

This recipe has not been tested with all possible substitutions or variations. If you try something different, please share in the comments!

See the recipe card for the complete ingredient list and recipe instructions.

Variations

Lettuce base: Julia Child's version uses Boston lettuce as the foundation of the platter. I skip it personally, but it makes for a beautiful presentation and adds volume when you're feeding a crowd.

Radishes: Thinly sliced radishes add a peppery bite and gorgeous pink colour.

Red Onions: Soak thinly sliced onions in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes. Rinse them under cold water, and you'll find that they have less "bite", which makes them more pleasant to eat raw in a salad.

Artichoke hearts: Marinated artichokes pair really well with the flavours of this salad.

Capers: These little pickled flower buds add a briny flavour that pairs well with tuna. I used them in my tuna carpaccio recipe, too!

Vegetarian: Omit the tuna and anchovies.

Why I Make This Recipe

As someone who grows her own vegetables in the summer, I often have a lot of tomatoes to use up. This salad is one of my favourite ways to enjoy them (second only to a nice Greek salad).

I love adding creamy boiled new potatoes to this salad, along with snappy green beans. The contrast in textures makes this salad fun to eat, and it's loaded with flavour.

While the recipe usually calls for hard-boiled eggs, I prefer a jammy 8-minute egg in my nicoise salad.

How to Make the Dressing

This bright lemony vinaigrette brings the whole salad together.

Fresh lemon juice will give you a better flavour than bottled, reconstituted citrus juice made from concentrate (i.e. ReaLemon).

Step 1: Add all of the salad dressing ingredients to a wide-mouth mason jar (or deep bowl).

Step 2: Use an immersion blender to blend the dressing until it's smooth.

How to Make Tuna Nicoise Salad

This is a composed salad, so the key is to cook each component separately and then arrange everything on the platter.

(Note: My camera was struggling to focus on the boiling vegetables, so I had to take photos with the heat off.)

Prepare the Potatoes

Step 1: Place baby potatoes in a pot of cold, well-salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and set aside to cool.

Step 2: Use a potato masher or a fork to press down on the cooled potatoes until they crack. You don't want to completely smash them, just break them enough so they can absorb the dressing.

Prepare the Eggs

Step 3: Boil water in a medium saucepan. Lower eggs into boiling water with a slotted spoon. Boil gently for 8 minutes.

Step 4: Use the slotted spoon to remove eggs from boiling water and place them into an ice bath to cool. Peel the eggs and cut them in half.

Prepare the Beans

Step 5: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender but still bright green.

Step 6: Immediately plunge the cooked beans into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking and preserve the colour. Drain well.

Assemble the Salad

Step 7: While things are cooking, slice the cucumbers and tomatoes, and pit your olives.

Step 8: Arrange all of the vegetables on a large platter or plate. Scatter the olives and flake the tuna on top. Season with salt (flaky salt is nice if you have it) and pepper. Serve immediately with the dressing on the side.

Serve With

This salad pairs well with crusty bread (to soak up that delicious dressing!) and an ice-cold beverage.

Common Questions

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