Salad Niçoise Recipe

This Salade Niçoise recipe brings the bright, fresh flavours of the Mediterranean to the table with seared tuna, jammy eggs, tender potatoes, crisp green beans, juicy tomatoes, olives, anchovies, cucumbers, and delicate Bibb lettuce. Featured on Dinner in Paris with host Romain Avril, this vibrant French salad is finished with a tangy Dijon and red wine vinaigrette that ties every colourful ingredient together while allowing each component to retain its own distinctive texture and flavour.

The Inspiration

Salade Niçoise takes its name from Nice, the Mediterranean city on the French Riviera known for colourful produce, seafood, olive oil, and bright coastal flavours. The salad reflects that sunny culinary character through a collection of simple ingredients arranged together rather than disguised beneath a heavy dressing.

In this version featured on Dinner in Paris, host Romain Avril brings together high-quality red tuna, eggs, olives, anchovies, potatoes, crisp green beans, fresh vegetables, and a sharp Dijon vinaigrette to create a composed salad that feels both rustic and sophisticated.

Salade Niçoise reflects one of the most appealing qualities of French Mediterranean cooking: excellent ingredients do not need to be overly manipulated. Instead, careful cooking and thoughtful arrangement allow the natural colours, textures, and flavours to become the focus.

Ingredients

For Salad

340 g (12 oz) high-quality Red tuna steaks
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 large eggs
227 g (8 oz) green beans, trimmed
227 g (8 oz) baby yellow flesh potatoes, halved
170 g (6 oz) cherry tomatoes
32 Niçoise OR Kalamata olives, pitted
8 anchovy fillets, removed from their oil
2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
2 heads of baby bibb lettuce, leaves separated

For Dressing

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ tbsp honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Cook the potatoes. Place halved potatoes in cold salted water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until just tender (6-8 minutes). Drain and cool completely.
Cook the tuna. Brush tuna steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a non-stick pan over high heat. Add tuna steak in and cook for 15-20 seconds or until nicely seared. Flip and cook for 15-20 seconds again. Remove from pan and transfer to a plate. Refrigerate to chill completely. Slice into ¼ inch strips.
Blanch the beans. Bring salted water to a boil. Cook beans 2-3 minutes until tender but crisp. Shock immediately in ice water to preserve color. Drain well and pat dry before serving.
Cook the eggs. Place eggs in boiling water for 7 minutes (jammy yolk). Transfer to ice bath, peel, and halve. Season cut side with salt and pepper.
Make the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, hhisk vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper together until emulsified.
Compose the salad. Place bibb lettuce leaves nicely on the salad platter. Arrange potatoes, beans, tomatoes, tuna, eggs, olives, and anchovies neatly on top of the lettuce. Do not toss. Drizzle lightly with dressing just before serving. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

Salade Niçoise is substantial enough to serve as a complete main course, especially when made with fresh seared tuna, potatoes, eggs, and anchovies. For a relaxed French-inspired lunch, present the salad on a large platter in the centre of the table and allow everyone to serve themselves.

The dish is also well suited to brunch or an elegant weekend lunch because the combination of jammy eggs, tuna, fresh vegetables, and potatoes feels satisfying without becoming overly heavy. The Dijon vinaigrette provides enough acidity to keep the plate bright, while the olives and anchovies supply bold, savoury notes that give the salad depth.

When serving Salade Niçoise for guests, arrange the ingredients in distinct sections rather than mixing everything together. This not only creates the traditional composed presentation but also showcases the quality of the individual ingredients.

Final Thoughts

This Salade Niçoise recipe demonstrates how thoughtfully prepared ingredients can transform a salad into a complete and memorable French meal. Rather than relying on one dominant component, the dish succeeds because every ingredient contributes a different flavour, texture, colour, and level of richness.

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