Recipe
Summer Niçoise Salad
The authentic Niçoise salad with its crunchy vegetables, tuna, hard-boiled eggs and Nice olives. A great classic of Provençal cuisine, hearty and generous, perfect for a summer lunch.
In brief
The authentic Niçoise salad with its crunchy vegetables, tuna, hard-boiled eggs and Nice olives. A great classic of Provençal cuisine, hearty and generous, perfect for a summer lunch.
4
Servings
Easy
Difficulty
0 min
Total time
Ingredients
Instructions
-
1
Cook the eggs in a pot of boiling water for 9 minutes for perfectly hard-boiled eggs. Immediately plunge them into ice water, then peel and cut into quarters.
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2
Carefully wash the lettuce, spin dry and tear the leaves by hand. Arrange them on a large serving platter, forming a generous bed.
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3
Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges. Peel the cucumber and slice it thinly. Wash the radishes and slice them into rounds. Finely slice the small spring onion.
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4
Cut the green pepper into thin strips after removing the seeds. Trim the purple artichoke hearts and slice them thinly (if using fresh ones).
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5
Arrange all the vegetables harmoniously on the bed of lettuce: tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, onion, pepper and artichoke. Do not mix — each ingredient should be visible.
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6
Drain the tuna and break it into large chunks over the salad. Distribute the egg quarters, anchovy fillets and black Nice olives.
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7
Prepare the vinaigrette: in a bowl, combine the olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously until emulsified.
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8
Drizzle the salad with vinaigrette and scatter with freshly chopped basil leaves. Serve immediately without tossing — each person will help themselves as they please.
Chef's tips
Never toss a Niçoise salad: arrange the ingredients separately and let everyone compose their own plate. For perfectly cooked eggs with a slightly creamy yolk, reduce the cooking time to 7 minutes. If you opt for fresh tuna, sear it for 1 minute on each side in a very hot pan.
Additional information
The Niçoise salad is much more than a simple composed salad: it is a monument of Provençal gastronomy, a complete dish that sparks passionate debates between purists and modernists. In Nice, it is taken very seriously, and the traditional recipe excludes all cooked vegetables — a rule we will respect here in its most authentic version.
The Niçoise Tradition
According to Niçoise tradition, the original salad contains neither potatoes nor green beans, nor any cooked vegetables. It consists of fresh raw vegetables, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies and small black Nice olives, all dressed with a simple olive oil vinaigrette. It is this simplicity that makes it so powerful: each ingredient is showcased and brings its own texture and flavor.
However, the version found in restaurants around the world often includes green beans and potatoes, making it an even more substantial dish. Our recipe offers an elegant compromise, with raw vegetables and eggs, complemented by a beautiful piece of quality tuna.
Choosing the Ingredients
The success of this salad relies entirely on the quality and freshness of the produce. The tomatoes must be ripe and fragrant, the cucumber nice and crunchy, the radishes firm and peppery. The olive oil should be a good extra-virgin, fruity and aromatic — it ties everything together and gives the salad its Mediterranean character.
For the tuna, you have two options: quality canned tuna (preferably in olive oil) or fresh tuna just seared, which adds a gourmet touch. The olives should be small black Nice olives, those with a gentle and slightly bitter flavor, not pitted industrial olives.
Presentation and Tasting
Traditionally, the Niçoise salad is presented on a large platter, with the ingredients arranged harmoniously rather than mixed. Each guest picks what they wish and seasons to taste. It is a quintessentially convivial dish, ideal for an outdoor lunch or a seaside picnic.
Serve it with good country bread, lightly toasted and rubbed with garlic, for an unforgettable summer meal. Paired with a well-chilled Provençal rosé, it is pure happiness on a plate.
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