Headnote

Salade Niçoise is a study in clarity: firm tuna, waxy potatoes, tender beans, ripe tomato, and the clean salt of olive and egg. The extra olive oil is not an embellishment but the dressing’s body, giving the salad weight, sheen, and a long finish. Composed properly, it is neither rustic nor delicate, but exact.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Salad

Cuisine or origin: French, Niçoise

Course type: Main course

Yield: 1 serving

Serving size: 430 g

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate

Equipment

Medium saucepan

Small bowl

Mixing bowl

Sharp knife

Cutting board

Serving plate

Ingredients

Salad

Tuna, 100 g

Boiled egg, 100 g, peeled and halved

Potatoes, 90 g, cooked until just tender, then cooled and cut into wedges

Green beans, 50 g, trimmed

Tomatoes, 60 g, cut into wedges

Olives, 20 g

Mixed greens, 30 g

Dressing

Olive oil, 25 g

Vinaigrette seasoning, 5 g

Method

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a steady boil. Add the green beans and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until bright green and just tender. Drain at once and cool briefly so they remain crisp and vivid.

2. If the potatoes are not already cooked, simmer them in lightly salted water for 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife passes through with slight resistance. Drain, cool just enough to handle, and cut into neat wedges. The flesh should hold its shape without crumbling.

3. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and vinaigrette seasoning. Whisk until the dressing is fully emulsified and glossy.

4. On a serving plate, arrange the mixed greens as the base. Set the potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, olives, and tuna in distinct sections rather than mingling them. Place the boiled egg halves prominently so the yolk remains visible.

5. Spoon the dressing evenly over the salad, allowing it to coat the ingredients without pooling. The finished salad should glisten lightly, with each component still clearly defined.

Plating and serving

Serve immediately on a wide plate, with the ingredients arranged in a balanced, deliberate composition. The salad should read as composed and abundant, with the olive oil binding the elements and the tuna and egg giving the plate its weight.

Professional notes

Keep the potatoes waxy and intact; a floury texture weakens the salad.

The beans must remain bright and slightly firm to preserve contrast.

Dress at the last moment so the greens stay fresh and the oil remains clean on the plate.