Niçoise Salad

Name: Niçoise Salad
Ingredients: 100 g leaf lettuce; 100 g green beans (I used frozen); 8 cherry tomatoes (or 2 regular); 8 quail eggs (or 2 regular); 1 can tuna in its own juice (180 g); 1 can black olives; 1 small onion; 10-12 anchovies (or substitute — see below); 5 tbsp. vegetable oil (preferably olive); 1 tbsp. apple cider or wine vinegar 6% (can be replaced with lemon juice); 1 tbsp. whole grain mustard (or 0.5–1 tsp. regular mustard); 1 clove garlic; salt; pepper

Niçoise is a wonderfully interesting and delicious salad that originated in France, where it originally consisted of just tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, and black olives. Today there are so many variations that it's impossible to count them all. People add all kinds of fresh vegetables — cucumbers, celery stalks, bell pepper, artichokes, capers. For heartiness, green beans, white cooked beans, rice, or potatoes are often added, along with many other things. So there's no point in searching for a single classic version of Niçoise — it simply doesn't exist. That's why I put together my own recipe using the combination of ingredients that seems perfect to me for this salad. The salad turned out absolutely delicious, and my husband said it was the best salad he had ever eaten. I can't help but agree with such high praise — the salad really is incredibly good. As for the anchovies, I should mention that they can be hard to find, so they're often substituted with another fish — European anchovy, sprat, or capelin. You want a small, boldly flavored fish; I used sprats in spiced oil. So if you're lucky enough to have anchovies on hand, definitely use them — but it also turns out wonderfully with a similar fish. This recipe makes 4 servings as shown in the photo.

Ingredients:

100 g leaf lettuce
100 g green beans (I used frozen)
8 cherry tomatoes (or 2 regular)
8 quail eggs (or 2 regular)
1 can tuna in its own juice (180 g)
1 can black olives
1 small onion
10-12 anchovies (or substitute — see below)
Dressing:
5 tbsp. vegetable oil (preferably olive)
1 tbsp. apple cider or wine vinegar 6% (can be replaced with lemon juice)
1 tbsp. whole grain mustard (or 0.5–1 tsp. regular mustard)
1 clove garlic
salt
pepper

How to cook Niçoise salad

Peel the onion and slice it into very thin half-rings. Drizzle with a spoonful of wine or apple cider vinegar and let it marinate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Drop the green beans into boiling water and cook for 3–4 minutes. Then drain and rinse with cold water. This stops the cooking process — the beans will keep their green color and firm texture.

Boil the eggs in simmering water for 3–4 minutes (7 minutes for chicken eggs), then cool completely by running cold water over them. Peel and cut into quarters, or into smaller pieces if using chicken eggs.

Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters (or slice regular tomatoes into pieces).

Break up the tuna with your hands.

Prepare the salt-cured fish — clean it, remove the backbone, and separate it into fillets.

Make the dressing. Combine the oil, vinegar, and mustard in a bowl. Add the garlic pressed through a garlic press, then season with salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously with a fork until emulsified.

Wash and dry the lettuce leaves, then arrange them on plates (as a reminder, this makes 4 servings).

Top with the tuna and marinated onion.

Then add the green beans.

Then add the eggs and the salt-cured fish.

Arrange the tomatoes and black olives on top. Drizzle generously with the dressing.

You can serve the salad with boiled potatoes or rice, or on its own — it's delicious either way. Niçoise salad has a wonderfully harmonious and balanced flavor, making it a great choice for lunch or dinner.