Classic French Salade Niçoise
When the weather gets warm, an entree salad like Dorie Greenspan’s Classic French Salade Niçoise is both easy and delicious!
Make sure to have some canned tuna, anchovies, capers, and olives on hand, and you can whip up this fabulous French-inspired Salad Niçoise Recipe.
Why You Must Make
When we toured France last summer, I ate a Salade Niçoise at every port…and they were all different save for the inclusion of tuna, haricot verts, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives, and potatoes. I fell for each and every version. I have even made a modern version, as Dorie called it, a Salade Nicoise with Ahi Tuna. Scrumptious as well. There are numerous ways to tweak this classic French salad, from the dressing to what ingredients you choose to feature.
- Your Nicoise Salad can be tweaked to please your palate. It’s easy to skip any ingredients you’re not fond of. The only intergral ingredients include Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic and Anchovies, Green Beans, Onions, Tuna, Hard Boiled Eggs, and Herbs.
- It’s a healthy, delicious lunch or dinner along with being extremely tasty!
- Even though it sounds a bit exotic, all the ingredients are easy to procure.
Ingredient Notes:
Salad
Small (new) Potatoes – I used red new potatoes for a touch of color, but any variety will work well.
Green Beans – If you can find haricots vert, green string beans, they work nicely.
Hard-boiled Eggs – Cooked, then chilled before using.
Jarred Tuna (4 – 6 oz. each), packed in olive oil (try Tonnino for a quality experience). Canned tuna works well, too.
Salad Greens – Use your favorite. I used baby spinach.
Cherry or Grape Tomatoes – Whole or cut in half, or regular tomatoes cut into chunks
Small Olives – Niçoise are classic, but any will do.
Capers – Drained and patted dry.
Anchovies – Rinsed and patted dry.
Dijon Vinaigrette
Wine Vinegar – red wine, white wine, or sherry wine vinegars will all work well.
Shallot – finely minced.
Dijon Mustard – Grey Poupon is typically in most grocery stores.
Sea Salt -(finer than kosher salt)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Olive Oil – I used extra virgin olive oil.
Dorie’s Salade Niçoise Interpretation
Life has been chaotic, and I’m back in Denver again to visit my parents. I’m hoping by the time this post goes live, that my dad will be out of the hospital. So having a quick old favorite recipe to prepare this week was truly a blessing.
And Dorie did this one right. Besides the classic ingredients, her salad contained tomatoes, capers, and anchovies. As a child who used to eat chicken bouillon cubes, all these salty ingredients hit home. Pure comfort. A drizzle of a perfectly proportioned Dijon vinaigrette finished this vibrant masterpiece off.
Easily Adaptable French Salad
For those of you keeping track, I think Bill (picky husband) would eat this classic French salad Niçoise. There would be a little pile of anchovies, capers, and olives (he will eat the green, pimento-stuffed variety) on his plate, but no worries. I’d just add to my sodium load for the day and scoop them onto my plate. But to tell the truth, I didn’t even offer him any; I wanted this one all for myself!
Feel free to leave out any ingredient you don’t like and also buy the kind of tuna you prefer. I’m loving the jarred tuna in olive oil. Expensive, but terrific quality.
The vinaigrette recipe is a simple combination of red or white wine vinegar ( I used champagne vinegar), Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil. You might also love this Hearts of Palm Salad, Avocado, Butter Lettuce Salad.
Freqently Asked Questions
Any dish with “Nicoise” in the name means it is prepared as if made in Nice, a French Riviera city. Common ingredients in these recipes include tomatoes, black olives, garlic, and anchovies.
Nicoise is a French term and it’s pronounced nee-SWAHZ.
The classic dressing for a Salad Nicoise is a lemon vinaigrette with lemon juice or white wine, Dijon mustard, plus optional additions like shallots, garlic, herbs or anchovies.
You May Also Like
- Classic French Onion Soup
- Easy Salad Bar Ideas
- Tuna Salad with Fresh Dill
- Chopped Italian Sub Salad
- More of my Best Salad Recipes
Classic French Salade Niçoise
Dorie Greenspan's delicious version of this classic French salad that originated in Nice!
Ingredients
Salad
- 12 small potatoes, scrubbed
- a couple handsful green beans
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 8 ounces jarred tuna (4 - 6 oz. each), packed in olive oil (try Tonnino for a quality experience)
- salad greens
- Cherry tomatoes or regular tomatoes cut into chunks
- Small olives (Niçoise, but any will do)
- Capers (drained and patted dry)
- Anchovies (rinsed and patted dry)
Dijon Vinaigrette
- 2 Tbsp. wine vinegar (red or white or sherry)
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- ¼ tsp. Dijon mustard
- A couple pinches sea salt
- A couple grinds of fresh black pepper
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Cook until they are tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife, 10 - 20 minutes. Scoop them out of the pot and put them in a bowl to cool.
- Blanch the green beans in the potato water until they are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the beans and put them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain, then pat dry.
- Make the vinaigrette: Add vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt, and pepper to a small glass measuring cup or jar and let sit 10 - 15 minutes to mellow the shallot. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly.
- Assemble the salad, on one large platter, or individual plates: salad greens, halved potatoes, green beans, halved eggs, tuna, tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies and drizzle with the shallot vinaigrette.
Notes
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 739Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 214mgSodium: 315mgCarbohydrates: 98gFiber: 13gSugar: 10gProtein: 36g
Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.
43 Comments on “Classic French Salade Niçoise”
Your salad platter looks exactly like it was served for the Greek Gods on a sunny Sunday mid noon 🙂 Beautiful. Soul-soothing.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, Liz. Hope your dad is doing better and leaves the hospital soon.
Your salad is classically beautiful…this one was a hit with my Bill. He even loves anchovies!
It was really wonderful to meet you, Bill and beautiful Katie in Seattle. Nice to finally get to put some faces on our Doristas.
I hope your dad is out of the hospital and doing well….I love your composed salad presentation – very pretty. I can’t believe you used to eat chicken bouillion cubes! Too funny.
Beautiful ingredients and really beautifully arranged!! Well done!
Liz, one very lovely presentation of this clasic French sald – beautifully arranged and worth many repeats! It is wonderful to read that you certainly enjoyed this fabulous salad!
Hope life is less chaotic this week – all the best and have a great Monday!
I can’t say I’ve ever had such a fancy salad, Liz. Lucky you touring France. I got to see Paris for a few days when I turned 46 – this was en route from Cape Town, South Africa. Never travel French airlines though (note to self) – we had so many delays and we were exhausted! However, they did put us up in a nice hotel. 🙂
Gorgeous liz!! This is delicious!!!! An Amazing looking platter
It is so hard to make a really good Salade Nicoise! Your platter looks beautiful and I bet this recipe would not disappoint.
This looks simply divine! Anchovies and olives would certainly be left on my husband’s plate – but I would eat both because I love this dish!
Yup, this looks delicious! And healthy too. I would love to go to France and try different version, love it when food brings back old memories!
I love Salade Niçoise . I hope your father is doing better. My thoughts are with you.
Perfect lunch! (and dinner)!
A beautiful presentation that looks absolutely delicious. Glad you enjoyed this one. Hope all
is well with you Dad, that he will be feeling better and goes home soon.
Beautiful salad , Lizzy ! Love how you plated it . Hope your dad is doing well !
Love this salad as there is always something for everyone! I’ve made it for bridal showers and everyone thinks it is to die for! Anyway, hope your dad is doing well!
It has been AGES since I last had a salade nicoise. I love how you plate the salad. Yum!
🙂 I hope everyone is well and life is going a bit more smoothly these days!
I love that you just made this one for you, as many picky eaters as you have, I think you are well – entitled to make that decision! 🙂 And what a delicious one it is!
I love how you have fanned out all of the ingredients so that each element is clear!
I hope your dad is doing better! This salad is so pretty!
I hope all is well with your dad and that you can enjoy your salad. My mother used to make this salad for my French grandmother quite often. We all enjoyed it but my gran was over the moon every time.
It looks perfectly fresh and beautiful and no matter what version of this salad I see I love them all too
I first saw your version of this salade when you posted it on Facebook earlier in the week. It’s been an inspiration for my own composed salad this week. I have eaten my share of these masterpieces when I’ve been in France and, you’re right, each one is different. While I would prefer the rare slices of ahi, I followed Dorie’s recipe word for word. Love the capers and olives, shoved the anchoives aside. A lovely presentation, Liz. By now I hope you have gotten out of snowy Denver and are home in Indiana, safe and sound.
You used to eat bouillion cubes? That’s hilarious,. I love this salad in any version, too. And your salad is arranged so beautifully! Hope that your dad continues to improve. Thinking of you, Liz.
Oh Lizzy my thought are with you and your dad. I love this salad too and it is a good one to eat during a stressful time, super healthy. Take care.
aaah Lizzy this sald would be perfect right now :))
beautiful!
I adore salade nicoise, Liz and yours looks fantastic. I’ll eat whatever Bill won’t! As for your dad, I’m really hoping he’ll be out of the hospital too. I’m thinking of you and your family!
Ooooo – that looks good. This is one of my favourite kind of salads! Your dressing sounds simple, bright and delicious too. Thanks!
I do hope your father is better. You sure have had a busy time with your parents this year. I can’t believe you used to eat stock cubes – they’re so strong and salty! I love the look of your salad – it has so many of my most favourite ingredients; caperberries being at the top of the list xx
This is one of my favorite salads. I make it with grilled tuna or salmon. Your looks refreshing and definitely well balanced.
Your salad is gorgeous! Glad your dad is doing well and Lambeau too! Hope you get out of
Denver before you are snowed in!
Such a beautiful presentation,colorful and healthy salad !
Ingenious idea to try out the Nicoise in every port, Liz. And I want a bite of your salad right now!
P.s. Praying your father is feeling better and out of the hospital. Hope you’re taking good care of you, too =)
Beautifully composed salad, I love the textures!
We lived on Salad Niçoisse in France and a version of one in Italy. It’s one oft top ten lunches for sure. Your version is gorgeous, and I’m sure Bill regretted that you didn’t share.
How’d you make yours look so appetizing? Mine was fine, but nothing amazing. Hope everything goes well with your dad!
Wow, love your ‘classic’ presentation of Dorie’s recipe. Wishing your Dad a speedy recovery!
Gorgeous, as always Liz. My mom used to give me bouilion and saltine crackers as a lunch when I was little. It probably influenced my salty side 🙂
Sending best wishes for your dad.
Beautiful presentation and I hope your Dad is feeling better.
I hope your Dad gets out of the hospital soon too, Liz. I loved Dorie’s version of the salad and smiled out loud at your comment about licking chicken bouillon cubes as kid. I had a similar fascination with them (and with maple syrup) when I was 4-5. 🙂
Beautiful Liz 🙂 I hope your dad is out of hospital soon and all is well XO
I adore Salade Niçoise and yours looks so pretty and tasty! Love the presentation as always 🙂 Hope life slows down a bit for you soon and that everything is okay with your dad.
A pretty to look at, healthy and hearty meal:@)
I love how all your ingredients are placed together in their own sections. Beautiful!