Tuna Nicoise Salad
Family Tradition Summer Salad this salad is a meal. You need a whole day to eat and enjoy yourself with friends and a good bottle of rose. Its really three salads together. First a good green bean salad, potato salad, simply dressed and a huge green salad. The addition of egg and tuna makes it protein heavy. I always eat a ton of this when we make it. Usually for our father's birthday in late July.
Author: Hannah
Recipe type: Meal
Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- SALAD INGREDIENTS:
- 1-2 heads of oakleaf, butter or red lettuce (depends on how many you want to serve)
- 4-5 large potatoes (I like Yukon Gold)
- 1-2 lbs. fresh green beans or haricot vert
- 4-6 small Early Girl tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes of another variety)
- 1 bunch of radishes
- approximately 1 cup of mixed olives
- 1 dozen hard boiled eggs
- 1-2 jars of good quality oil packed tuna fish
- 1 large finely chopped shallot or 2 finely chopped green onions
- 2 TB. capers
- finely chopped fresh parsley
- finely chopped fresh dill
- finely chopped fresh tarragon
- fresh ground pepper
- DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
- 1 C EVOO
- ¼ C fresh squeezed lemon juice
- salt
Instructions
- Prepare your salad base. Wash lettuce, store in fridge.
- Prepare the lemon olive oil dressing. Combine 1 C EVOO, ¼ C lemon juice and salt to taste. Mix until well blended.
- Prepare hard boiled eggs. Set aside.
- Prepare potato salad. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add cleaned potatoes. (Cutting them into halves or quarters before hand will reduce cooking time). Boil until potatoes can be pierced easily with a knife. Drain and let cool in a colander. When cool enough to handle, peel if you prefer, and cut into smaller pieces. Put in clean bowl and dress with lemon olive oil dressing, chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh dill and ½ of the diced shallot or green onions. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare green bean salad. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cleaned, trimmed beans (if using large green beans cut in half or thirds), cook until al dente. Shock in ice water bath. Drain, add to clean bowl and dress with lemon olive oil dressing, other half of the chopped shallot of green onions, tarragon and parsley and salt to taste.
- Prepare garnishes. Wash tomatoes and slice into quarters or eighths. Wash and trim radishes. Slice into thin slices.
- Assemble salad. Place washed lettuce into a very large salad bowl. I like to dress it lightly at this point with a few tablespoons of the lemon olive oil dressing, tossing gently. Next, add the potato salad to the center of the lettuce. Next, add green bean salad surrounding the potato salad. Then place garnishes of tomatoes, radishes and olives along the outer edge of the bowl, next to the green bean salad. Serve hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered, and drained tuna fish on separate plates or add to the garnishes in the salad bowl.