Salade Niçoise for Two
By Andrea GearyPublished on April 3, 2023
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon minced shallot 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 anchovies, rinsed and minced¼ teaspoon table salt ⅛ teaspoon pepperSalad
5 ounces grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise¼ teaspoon sugar ⅛ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking vegetables12 ounces small red potatoes, 1 to 2 inches in diameter6 ounces green beans, trimmed3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 large eggs 1 (5- to 7-ounce) jar/can olive oil–packed tuna, drained and broken into bite-size pieces with fork2 tablespoons Niçoise olives 1 tablespoon capersBefore You Begin
This recipe moves quickly, so be sure to have all your ingredients in place before starting. You can substitute 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste for the anchovies. A high-quality oil-packed tuna such as Tonnino Tuna Fillets in Olive Oil works well here. If Niçoise olives are unavailable, substitute chopped pitted kalamatas. We like jammy eggs, with a consistency halfway between soft-and hard-cooked, in this salad. If you prefer soft-cooked eggs, cook them for 7 minutes; if you prefer hard-cooked eggs, cook them for 12 minutes.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl.
- Stir together tomatoes, sugar, and salt in small 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 cutting board, leaving water in saucepan.
- 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).
- Heat oil in 10-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).
- 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.
- Divide tomatoes, tuna, and beans between 2 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 between plates. Drizzle each salad with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. Sprinkle salads with olives and capers and serve, passing extra vinaigrette.
for the vinaigrette
for the salad
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 2Ingredients
Vinaigrette
Salad
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
Salad
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
Salad
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.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
This recipe moves quickly, so be sure to have all your ingredients in place before starting. You can substitute 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste for the anchovies. A high-quality oil-packed tuna such as Tonnino Tuna Fillets in Olive Oil works well here. If Niçoise olives are unavailable, substitute chopped pitted kalamatas. We like jammy eggs, with a consistency halfway between soft-and hard-cooked, in this salad. If you prefer soft-cooked eggs, cook them for 7 minutes; if you prefer hard-cooked eggs, cook them for 12 minutes.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl.
- Stir together tomatoes, sugar, and salt in small 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 cutting board, leaving water in saucepan.
- 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).
- Heat oil in 10-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).
- 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.
- Divide tomatoes, tuna, and beans between 2 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 between plates. Drizzle each salad with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. Sprinkle salads with olives and capers and serve, passing extra vinaigrette.
for the vinaigrette
for the salad
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