Salade Nicoise is like a culinary escape to sunny southern France on a plate!
Something I enjoy doing with my crazy big cookbook collection is to grab a cookbook, open to a recipe and make it no matter what it is. I only redo “the grab” or open to a different page if the recipe has something my husband is allergic to (such as mushrooms) or if it’s something my husband and I simply won’t eat (like offal).
Jim Fobel’s Big Flavors, 400 Taste-Intensive Recipes for Everyday Cooking and Special Occasion Entertaining is my latest “grab” off the shelf. Jim Fobel was the test kitchen director of Food and Wine magazine from 1979 to 1983. When he published this cookbook in 1995, he was a contributing editor for Cooking Light magazine. He wrote several other cookbooks including Jim Fobel’s Old-Fashioned Baking Book that won a James Beard award.
I remember 1995 very well. It was the year my husband and I had our whirlwind romance and got married. I wasn’t buying cookbooks around that time because I would be moving from Milwaukee to Memphis and the cookbooks I already owned were an issue in the move. Oh, well….love me, love my cookbooks, Honey!
This iconic cookbook was one of the hottest-selling cookbooks at the time and is worth tracking down now. I found it in a used bookstore in great condition several years ago.
The recipe I opened to in Big Flavors was Salade Nicoise. Although I recall seeing this classic French composed main course salad on menus all over France, I had never ordered it there so I was anxious to make it.
This salad makes a real show-stopping summer lunch or light supper. It typically contains tuna, hard-cooked eggs, olives, capers, lots of vegetables such as fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, blanched green beans, boiled potatoes, radishes and fresh herbs such as basil and oregano. The salad is drizzled with a French-style vinaigrette and served cold or at room temperature with or without lettuce greens.
To put my own spin on this classic, I used fingerling potatoes roasted with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Instead of tuna, I used canned smoked trout. Instead of radish, I used red onion.
Add a glass of rosé and you may feel as though you made a quick trip to the South of France! Enjoy!
Serves 6
Salade Nicoise is like a culinary escape to sunny southern France on a plate!
1 hrPrep Time
40 minCook Time
1 hr, 40 Total Time
Save RecipeINGREDIENTS
VINAIGRETTE
3 large cloves garlic, minced or crushed through a garlic press
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
SALAD
3/4 pound small fingerling potatoes, halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound small green beans, stem ends trimmed and halved
1 large English cucumber, peeled if desired, sliced
4 large plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 sprig fresh basil or oregano (or a combination), thinly sliced
3 cans (3-4 ounces each) smoked trout in oil, drained and separated into chunks
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup Nicoise or Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 tablespoons capers, drained
INSTRUCTIONS
VINAIGRETTE
In a large bowl, mash the garlic, anchovy paste and mustard together to form a paste. Stir in the lemon juice. Slowly whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until creamy. Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt, black pepper and cayenne. Refrigerate until needed.
SALAD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss halved potatoes with oil, salt and black pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned, turning once or twice. Let cool slightly.
While potatoes are roasting, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the water and cook the green beans 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Alternately, steam the beans in a steamer over boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain, cool and set aside.
Mound the potatoes in the center of a large platter. Place green beans around potatoes.
Arrange the remaining ingredients, except for herbs and capers, as desired.
Sprinkle with capers and herbs.
Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. Serve the remaining vinaigrette on the side.
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