French Niçoise Summer Salad (2024)

Units Scale

Dressing:

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup chives, finely chopped
• 1 tsp chopped tarragon
• 2 Tbsp chopped dill
• 2 tsp ground or Dijon mustard
• 1-2 teaspoon kosher salt (start with 1 tsp and adjust to taste)
• 1 Tbsp toum (sub 1 large clove garlic smashed if you don't have toum)
• ½ lemon squeezed
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Ahi Tuna:

• 1 pound Ahi tuna, cut into cubes
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp toum
• 1 tsp chopped dill
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp red peppercorns
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp capers

Salad Components:

• Green leaf or butter lettuce
• Baby potatoes, steamed or boiled until tender (see notes)**
• Radishes
• Baby carrots
• Cannellini beans
• Hard boiled eggs (see notes)**
• Tomatoes
• English or Persian cucumbers, sliced
• Roasted red peppers
• Niçoise olives
• Green beans (blanched, see notes)**
• English peas (blanched, see notes)**
• Canned or prepared tuna (see above)

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Dressing:

1. Place all your ingredients into a jar.
2. Seal tight and shake vigorously until all ingredients are combined.
3. Store any leftover dressing in fridge, bring to room temperature before using and shake again to reconstitute.

Ahi Tuna:

1. Prepare tuna by cutting into 1" chunks
2. Toss tuna pieces with toum, salt and dill, let sit for 30 minutes to absorb flavor or even overnight
3. In a heavy bottomed or cast iron skillet, heat your olive oil on medium high heat
4. Once hot, add your peppercorns and place tuna pieces in on one side
5. Allow to sear until crisp bottom appears, about 3-4 minutes
6. Flip to opposite side and sear again
7. Finally finish in pan with capers and lemon juice

Salad:

1. To arrange salad, begin by fanning out your lettuce
2. Next, begin placing each item around the edges, trying to alternate colors for a vivid appearance
3. Place canned tuna or prepared ahi tuna in center
4. Drizzle dressing on top of all the components to your liking
5. Garnish with extra dill

**Blanch greens beans, English peas or other hard greens by placing in boiling water for 2-3 minutes then immediately shocking them in ice cold water.

**After cooking potatoes, toss with dressing while still warm. I like to cook mine in my Instant pot for 5 minutes on manual and natural release, 1 cup water and rack. Boiling for 20-25 minutes until fork tender also works.

**Hard boiled eggs: place eggs in water and begin a 10 minute timer once begins to boil.
Instant Pot ~ place eggs in Instant Pot with rack and 1 cup water, set to 5 minutes manual, quick release and immediately place in ice cold water

**Salad can be composed in a large platter as shown or in individual plates