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Hearty Main-Course Salads
Recipe
1 hr 20 min

Salade Niçoise with Jammy Eggs and Crispy Potatoes

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Salade Niçoise with Jammy Eggs and Crispy Potatoes
Author: Andrea Geary

Recipe By Andrea Geary

Published on September 15, 2025

A range of temperatures and textures—and meticulous seasoning—reinvigorate the classic summery salad from the Côte d'Azur.

Time

1 hr 20 min

Yield

Serves 4

Why This Recipe Works

Cooking the potatoes for our salade niçoise in heavily salted water ensured that they were well seasoned; using that same water for the green beans was not only efficient but also meant that some of the calcium ions in the beans' cell walls were displaced by plentiful sodium ions, breaking the links between the pectin molecules in the beans. This effect caused the beans to soften quickly while remaining a brilliant green. Breaking with tradition, we flattened the cooked potatoes and crisped their exteriors in a hot skillet while our eggs cooked to a jammy, not hard-cooked, consistency. The mixture of hot and cold, crisp and creamy elements made the salad more interesting to eat, and the punchy, lemon-heavy vinaigrette, spiked with anchovies to enhance its savoriness, complemented the hearty components perfectly. A final sprinkling of briny capers and olives gave our salad traditional Mediterranean flair.

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons minced shallot
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 anchovies, rinsed and minced
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Salad

10 ounces grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking vegetables
1½ pounds small red potatoes, 1 to 2 inches in diameter
12 ounces green beans, trimmed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 large eggs
2 (5- to 7-ounce) jars/cans olive oil–packed tuna, drained and broken into bite-size pieces with fork
¼ cup niçoise olives
2 tablespoons capers

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. FOR TO VINAIGRETTE: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.
  2. FOR THE SALAD: Stir together tomatoes, sugar, and salt in bowl. Bring 6 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and 3 tablespoons salt and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with paring knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer potatoes to large cutting board, leaving water in saucepan.
  3. Return water to boil. Add green beans and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. While green beans cook, fill medium bowl halfway with ice and water. Using tongs, transfer green beans to ice water, leaving water in saucepan. Let beans cool, about 5 minutes. While green beans cool, gently flatten each potato with side of chef's knife to ½- to ¾-inch thickness (it's OK if some potatoes crumble).
  4. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add potatoes and cook until brown and lightly crisped on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Meanwhile, return water to boil over medium-high heat. Add eggs, cover, and cook for 8 minutes (eggs needn't be submerged).
  5. Line cutting board with double layer of paper towels. Transfer crisped potatoes to half of paper towel and season with salt to taste. Transfer green beans to remaining half of paper towel to drain, leaving cold water in bowl.
  6. Divide tomatoes, tuna, and beans among 4 plates, piling them in separate mounds. Transfer cooked eggs to cold water to chill for 30 seconds. Peel and halve eggs, and place 3 halves on each plate. Divide potatoes among plates. Drizzle each salad with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. Sprinkle salads with olives and capers and serve, passing extra vinaigrette.

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Salade Niçoise with Jammy Eggs and Crispy Potatoes

Recipe By Andrea Geary

Published on September 15, 2025

Time

1 hr 20 min

Yield

Serves 4

Salade Niçoise with Jammy Eggs and Crispy Potatoes

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil¼ cup lemon juice (2 lemons)2 tablespoons minced shallot2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme2 teaspoons Dijon mustard4 anchovies, rinsed and minced½ teaspoon table salt¼ teaspoon pepper

Salad

10 ounces grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise½ teaspoon sugar¼ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking vegetables1½ pounds small red potatoes, 1 to 2 inches in diameter12 ounces green beans, trimmed6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil6 large eggs2 (5- to 7-ounce) jars/cans olive oil–packed tuna, drained and broken into bite-size pieces with fork¼ cup niçoise olives2 tablespoons capers

Instructions

  1. FOR TO VINAIGRETTE: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.
  2. FOR THE SALAD: Stir together tomatoes, sugar, and salt in bowl. Bring 6 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and 3 tablespoons salt and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with paring knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer potatoes to large cutting board, leaving water in saucepan.
  3. Return water to boil. Add green beans and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. While green beans cook, fill medium bowl halfway with ice and water. Using tongs, transfer green beans to ice water, leaving water in saucepan. Let beans cool, about 5 minutes. While green beans cool, gently flatten each potato with side of chef's knife to ½- to ¾-inch thickness (it's OK if some potatoes crumble).
  4. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add potatoes and cook until brown and lightly crisped on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Meanwhile, return water to boil over medium-high heat. Add eggs, cover, and cook for 8 minutes (eggs needn't be submerged).
  5. Line cutting board with double layer of paper towels. Transfer crisped potatoes to half of paper towel and season with salt to taste. Transfer green beans to remaining half of paper towel to drain, leaving cold water in bowl.
  6. Divide tomatoes, tuna, and beans among 4 plates, piling them in separate mounds. Transfer cooked eggs to cold water to chill for 30 seconds. Peel and halve eggs, and place 3 halves on each plate. Divide potatoes among plates. Drizzle each salad with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. Sprinkle salads with olives and capers and serve, passing extra vinaigrette.
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