
Nothing says summer time like dinner on the deck with a Mediterranean Salad Nicoise & perhaps a chilled glass of dry chardonnay (or rose, if you prefer).
Right now, our normally cool West Coast climate is having a heat wave and I cannot bring myself to cook anything in my oven for dinner.
Historically, Salad Nicoise comes from Nice. With my French heritage I am surprised that I have never put together a Classic Salad Nicoise before but the 38-40 degree Celsius weather has definitely motivated me.

This salad is gluten and dairy free plus has all the healthy food groups on a plate drizzled with a delicious homemade dressing.
Normally a Classic Nicoise Salad is made with black olives but I love spicy Sicilian olives so I used them instead. Also I had some yummy cooked asparagus in my fridge so I add this as well and totally loved the outcome.
I have an entire cookbook dedicated to salad meals that I think you would love. It’s called The Salad Kitchen and it’s full of delicious seasonal salads to make your life easier.
Classic Salad Nicoise “with a twist”
Makes 2 generous dinner salads
Ingredients
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more
Salad
- 2 large hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
- ¼ lb. green beans, trimmed
- 6-8 new or baby potatoes, halved if larger
- 3 medium tomatoes, quartered
- 8 sprigs of cooked asparagus (could use pickled)
- 2 cans high quality white tuna
- 10 Sicilian Olives
- 2 TBSP capers
- Fresh Basil leaves
- ½ romaine lettuce , cleaned
Method
Dressing
Whisk oil, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and kosher salt in a medium bowl; set dressing aside.
Salad
In a small saucepan cook green beans in boiling water until just tender, about 3 minutes. In a medium sized saucepan cook potatoes for 12-15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl of ice water; let sit until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels; pat dry.
Note: This step can be done up to 2 days ahead
To serve, arrange romaine lettuce leaves on a platter or 2 plates. Slice eggs in quarters and arrange on lettuce with cooked and raw vegetables and tuna. Decorate with olives, capers & fresh Basil leaves.


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