Authentic Niçoise Salad
This simple homemade Niçoise Salad is a lively mix of fresh tomatoes, crisp bell peppers, radishes and cool cucumber, spruced up with hard-boiled eggs, tuna, salty anchovies and a simple herby dressing. True to tradition, you’ll find no green beans nor potatoes in this authentic recipe! It’s a refreshingly crisp and crunchy salad that’s ideal for your next BBQ or to pop into your lunchbox.
Nicoise Salad – in French, Salade Niçoise – is a classic salad hailing from the city of Nice in Provence, France. This beloved dish is known throughout the world… But do you know the “real” Niçoise Salad? Its recipe has always fueled much controversy, with its original version being modified outside French borders.
I know this might surprise many of you, but for the purists, adding green beans, potatoes, or rice is a total faux pas! Despite this, even in France, many restaurants serve so-called Niçoise Salads with green beans and/or potatoes – likely to make them more substantial and filling.
The recipe I am sharing here is what’s considered a truly authentic Niçoise Salad. If you want to add beans, potatoes, rice, or other ingredients to fit your taste, go ahead! Will the salad be less authentic? That’s up to you to decide! I don’t think your stomach will disagree either way.
- 2 large eggs
- 1 small butterhead lettuce (Bibb, Boston)
- 200g fava beans, cooked and cooled (about 500 g shelled beans)
- 2 medium tomatoes or 1 large heirloom
- 1 can tuna in oil (80g total, about 50g after oil drained)
- ½ green bell pepper
- ½ cucumber
- 6 pink radishes bulbs
- ½ large summer onion (white part only)
- 50g Nicoises olives (or black olives), pitted or unpitted
- 8-10 anchovy fillets, drained
- 4 fresh basil leaves, rougly chopped
- 2 tbsp (30ml) extra virgin oive oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- Salt, pepper to taste