Salade Niçoise
Southern French salad with tuna, green beans, potatoes, olives, and soft-boiled eggs.
- Preparation
- 30 min
- Cook/bake time
- 25 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 631 kcal
- Servings
- 4
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cooking & baking
- 25 min
Southern French salad with tuna, green beans, potatoes, olives, and soft-boiled eggs. Potatoes and beans are marinated while still lukewarm because they absorb significantly more dressing in this state than when cold. A salad that satisfies and is considered a complete meal in Nice.
Why this works
Warm potatoes have swollen, open starch and absorb liquid like a sponge. As they cool, this starch contracts and seals the surface, causing a cold potato to let the dressing simply bead off the outside. With the beans, the heat itself also plays a role: It lowers the viscosity of the oil, allowing it to run into the intercellular spaces instead of remaining on the surface.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Boil the potatoes
Boil the potatoes in salted water for fifteen to eighteen minutes until they are just tender. Drain them, let them steam off briefly, and halve them while still hot. Warmly sliced potatoes literally soak up the dressing, whereas cold ones let it bead off the surface.
- 2
Blanch the beans
Boil the green beans for four to five minutes in rapidly boiling salted water until they are al dente, and immediately shock them in ice water. Shocking stops the cooking process and sets the bright green color, otherwise they will turn olive and soft.
- 3
Boil the eggs soft
Boil the eggs for seven minutes, shock them cold, and peel them. Seven minutes yields a firm egg white and a still slightly creamy yolk that combines with the dressing when eaten. You should only quarter them right before serving.
- 4
Vinaigrette and marinating
Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper, and slowly beat in the olive oil until the vinaigrette is creamy. Stir in the herbs. Toss the still lukewarm potatoes and beans with a third of the dressing and let them sit for ten minutes.
- 5
Serving
Spread the torn lettuce on a large platter and arrange the marinated potatoes and beans, the tuna in large chunks, tomatoes, olives, onion rings, the quartered eggs, and the anchovies on top. Drizzle the remaining dressing over it and serve immediately with a baguette.
Our best tips
- Marinate the potatoes and beans while lukewarm. This is the most important trick for a salad with depth.
- Buy tuna in olive oil instead of water. The difference in taste is significant.
- Be sure to shock the beans in ice water, otherwise they will continue to cook and lose color and bite.
Tasty variations
With fresh tuna
Briefly sear a tuna steak over high heat so that it remains pink inside, and arrange it in slices on top.
Without potatoes
In the purist version from Nice, cooked vegetables are omitted and only raw ones are used.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 631 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 34 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g |
| – of which sugar | 7 g |
| Fat | 41 g |
| Fiber | 8 g |
Where the 631 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Do potatoes really belong in it?
This is debated in Nice. The purist version uses only raw vegetables, while the widespread variant with potatoes and beans is standard outside of France.
Can I prepare it in advance?
The components yes, a day ahead. Only assemble right before serving, otherwise the lettuce will become soft.
What if I don't like anchovies?
Simply leave them out. They provide depth and saltiness but are optional. Alternatively, use a teaspoon of capers.
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