Any Way Niçoise Recipes

CLASSIC NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with cold water and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl; drizzle with the wine and let cool. Reserve the saucepan.
• Meanwhile, bring a separate saucepan of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with salted ice water. Add the haricots verts to the boiling water; cook until crisp-tender and bright green, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to cool; drain and pat dry.
• Place the eggs in the reserved saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from the heat and let stand, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, then run under cold water to cool. Peel under cold running water.
• Make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, shallot, mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.
• Toss the tomatoes ian a small bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Add about 1/4 cup dressing to the potatoes and toss. Quarter the hard-cooked eggs.
• Divide the lettuce among 4 plates. Arrange the potatoes, haricots verts, radishes, hard-cooked eggs and tuna on top. Pour any juices from the tomatoes into the dressing, then add the tomatoes to the plates. Drizzle with the dressing and top with the olives.

NIçOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Boil the potatoes for about 4 minutes.
• Remove with a slotted spoon, drain, then slice them in half. (Leave the water in the pot, though; you'll use it for blanching the green beans in a few moments.)
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, with a bit of olive oil until it's quite hot, then place the sliced potatoes in the pan, cut-side down.
• Sear for a minute or two until the potatoes are lightly browned, then remove them from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Toss with kosher salt and set aside.
• Bring the water back to a boil, and add the green beans. Blanch for 2 minutes.
• Remove with tongs to a bowl of ice water to shock them and keep them from cooking further. Drain and dry them with paper towels and set aside.
• Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, and anchovies in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. (The anchovies are salty, so you might not need much additional salt.)
• Place the salad greens in a bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the dressing and toss to coat. Arrange the greens on 4 serving plates or 1 large platter. Distribute the potato halves equally, with the browned sides facing up.
• Toss the green beans, olives, and tomatoes with enough additional dressing to lightly coat them, and arrange them on the salad.
• Divide the tuna and place it in the center of plates. Arrange the hard-boiled egg quarters, then garnish with the fresh parsley and serve. Note: Instead of the vinaigrette, you could serve a Niçoise salad with garlic aioli .

ANY WAY NIçOISE

Steps:

• Whisk oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, pepper, and 1 tsp. kosher salt in a medium bowl; set dressing aside.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully add eggs and cook 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water (keep pot over high heat); chill until cold, about 5 minutes. Peel; set aside.
• Meanwhile, add green beans, asparagus, or potatoes to the same pot of boiling water and cook until just tender (if you are using a combination, cook vegetables separately), 2-4 minutes for green beans or asparagus, 10-15 minutes for potatoes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl of ice water; let sit until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels; pat dry.
• To serve, slice eggs in half and arrange on a platter with cooked and raw vegetables and protein. Top with pickled-briny ingredient(s), sprinkle with sea salt, and drizzle some reserved dressing over. Serve with remaining dressing alongside.
• Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 5 days ahead; cover and chill. Eggs can be boiled and vegetables blanched 2 days ahead; cover and chill separately.

SALAD NICOISE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, parsley, olives, onion, tuna and green beans. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
• In large bowl, toss greens with vinaigrette and top with chilled potato mixture. Garnish with eggs, tomatoes, capers and anchovies.

SALMON SALAD NIçOISE

Steps:

• Combine sherry vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice in a small bowl; stir briskly until vinaigrette is well combined.
• Add olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking briskly after each addition. Season with salt and pepper and whisk until well combined; set aside.
• Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add potatoes to boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, making sure the water level is above the potatoes. Add green beans and boil until beans are bright-green and tender crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Sieve out green beans and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain and place in a large bowl.
• Test potatoes for doneness by slightly piercing a potato with a sharp knife. If done, the knife should slip in with only a slight resistance. Drain potatoes, cool slightly, slice in half, and add to the bowl. Add bell pepper and drizzle vinaigrette over salad. Toss until well combined.
• Line a serving plate with lettuce leaves and arrange potatoes, green beans, and pepper strips on top. Evenly place olive halves around the salad.
• Lightly toss the sliced cherry tomatoes with olive oil and salt, and place around the plate.
• Place salmon flakes on top of salad. Slice egg in half, and place one half of the egg on each side of the plate. Serve.

NORTHWEST NIçOISE

Steps:

• To make the dressing, using a food processor or blender, puree the piquillo peppers, chives, olives, garlic, olive oil, rice vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
• Reserve the feathery tops of the fennel and slice the bulb in half. Cut out the core, and then thinly slice the fennel. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and fennel and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fennel begins to turn translucent. Remove it to a large serving bowl.
• While the fennel is cooking, slice the potatoes in half lengthwise, and then slice them again crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons.
• Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel, return it to high heat, and melt the butter in it. Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook the potatoes for 2 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Reduce the heat to medium, flip the potatoes, and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and tender. Remove the potatoes to the bowl with the fennel. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• While the vegetables cool, blanch the green beans for 2 minutes in a pot of salted boiling water and rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well. Add the green beans, cherry tomatoes, and tuna to the bowl with the fennel and potatoes. Add two-thirds of the dressing to the salad and toss.
• To serve, garnish with the olives, remaining dressing, and reserved fennel tops.
• The dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead.