Classic salade Niçoise recipe
There is as much debate over the correct way to make a salade Niçoise but it should always be an expression of the southern French summer – crunchy, vibrant, strident and fresh.
Ingredients
- 0.5 garlic clove, peeled
- 2 small artichokes, outer leaves removed, dark green bits peeled, choke removed
- 1 small, firm cucumber, or half a big watery one
- 12 radishes
- 1 white or red salad onion, as mild and sweet as possible
- 250 g ripe tomatoes (the most delicious you can find, bull’s heart is lovely)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 150 g good-quality tuna in olive oil (such as Ortiz) or 8 salted anchovy fillets
- 1 handful black olives, pitted
- 0.5 bunch of basil, leaves picked
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled for 7 minutes and shelled
- 1 pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
Details
- Cuisine: French
- Recipe Type: Salad
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 10 mins
- Cooking Time: 7 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Rub the inside of a serving bowl with the cut garlic.
- Prepare the artichokes and slice them thinly lengthways.
- Cut the cucumber and radishes into slices, but not too thin.
- Peel and slice the onion as thinly as possible.
- Cut the tomatoes into chunks, wedges or quarters depending on their size. Do not slice them too thinly or the salad may become wet as the juices seep out.
- Combine the vegetables in the serving bowl. Add the olive oil and red wine vinegar, then season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Mix in the tuna or anchovies, olives and basil. Taste again.
- Cut the hard-boiled eggs into halves or quarters, season lightly with salt and pepper, then arrange on top of the salad.
- Finish with an extra drizzle of olive oil, if you feel the salad needs it.
This recipe is from Sardine: Simple seasonal Provençal cooking by Alex Jackson. Published by Pavilion Books. Photography by Matt Russell.
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