SALADE NIÇOISE
The French classic that needs no introduction.
You need to be born in France to understand just how something as simple as a salad can spark regional conflicts. In one example from the 1900s, Auguste Escoffier dared to include potatoes in the ingredients for salade Niçoise in his seminal cooking text, Le Guide Culinaire. The citizens of the town of Nice were outraged that the original recipe had been meddled with. Even today, the guardians of Nice cuisine, Le Cercle de la Capelina d’Or, regard this irreverence as a sacrilege and are lobbying for the original recipe to be protected by UNESCO. Before they succeed, I use green beans and a vinaigrette dressing in my recipe with the hope that the people of Nice won’t take to the streets.
This recipe features in our cookbook, French Cooking Academy: 100 Essential Recipes for the Home Cook
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 batch Traditional Vinaigrette
10.5 oz (300 g) green beans
4 large eggs
10.5 g (300 g) tomatoes
3.5 oz (100 g) red or green bell pepper peeled and cut into strips, seeds and white parts discarded
2 cups (80 g) radicchio or mixed salad leaves, washed and dried
½ cup (50 g) peeled and diced celery or (¾ cup) cucumber
1 green onion, sliced finely
7 oz (200 g) tuna in oil, flaked into small pieces
16 black olives
8 anchovy filets in oil
Handful of fresh basil, for garnish
Olive oil, to serve
MISE EN PLACE
Make the Traditional Vinaigrette.
Cook the green beans in salty boiling water for 10 minutes, then plunge into cold water and drain. Cook the eggs in boiling water for 9 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of cold water to rest before peeling and cutting them in half.
METHOD
While optional, to peel (monder) tomatoes is commonly done in French cooking to improve the gustatory experience of them in salads and other dishes. To do this, use a small knife to cut an X on the top of each tomato and remove the stems. Boil the tomatoes whole for 20 seconds, then immediately plunge into a bowl of cold water. Use a small knife, or your hands, to peel the skin off the tomato, then cut the flesh into quarters.
To make the salad base, arrange the green beans, salad leaves, bell peppers, celery and green onion in a large serving dish. Pour half of the dressing evenly over the salad base.
Garnish the top of the salad with the tomatoes, eggs, the tuna, olives and anchovy filets, in whatever way pleases you.
For the final touch, drizzle rest of the dressing over the salad, decorate with basil leaves and serve with a small bowl of olive oil on the side.
Note
In France, this salad is more of a light meal than starter, usually served on a plate, never in a bowl (sacrilege!). A few panfried croutons rubbed with fresh garlic adds a tasty crunch. For the purists, the dressing is just salt, pepper and olive oil; vinegar is not welcome.