Served as a main course, our version of Salade Niçoise is made with pan-seared tuna steaks, hard-cooked eggs, potatoes, green beans, lettuce, tomatoes, olives and capers.
Close up of Nicoise salad ingredients and sliced pan-seared tuna drizzled with fresh lemon and shallot dressing.

A dish that’s referred to as a la niçoise means that it is prepared in a way common to the cuisine found in the city of Nice on the French Riviera. Salade Niçoise is a classic from that region. Simple, yet incredibly satisfying as a main course, it most often includes a combination of oil-packed tuna, hard-cooked eggs, haricot vert, lettuce, tomatoes, niçoise olives, capers, and anchovies.

Our version is mostly traditional, but it does feature pan-seared tuna steaks in place of the canned variety, and a light, tangy dressing that swaps lots of fresh lemon for vinegar.

Key Ingredients

In addition to basics like leaf lettuce and cocktail tomatoes, and dressing ingredients that include fresh lemons, Dijon mustard, shallots, and extra-virgin olive oil, the following ingredients are what make a Niçoise salad so special.

  • Yellowfin tuna steaks: Also known as ahi tuna, yellowfin is the type most often used for pan-searing. We buy our tuna steaks frozen and vacuum-sealed in individual portions. Each steak is approximately 3/4″ thick and weighs between 6 and 8 ounces. They can be defrosted in the refrigerator, or placed in their wrapper, in a bowl of cool water for about 30 minutes (don’t defrost at room temperature). If you’d prefer to use canned tuna, choose a high-quality brand packed in extra-virgin olive oil.
  • Baby yellow potatoes: Readily available in most grocery stores, baby yellow potatoes are an all-purpose potato and a favorite of ours for roasting, but their tender texture and buttery flavor make them an ideal choice for this salad as well. You can substitute them with waxy varieties like fingerlings or red bliss.
  • Haricot vert: When directly translated, haricot vert is simply French for green bean, but they are actually a long, thin, French variety of green bean that is harvested young. Perfect for salads, they blanch quickly and have a beautiful, bright green color and a crisp-tender texture. You can substitute conventional green beans, but be sure they are very fresh and tender.
  • Niçoise olives: In the spirit of authenticity, our recipe calls for niçoise olives, a French variety of black olives with a rich, briny flavor. Because of their size, they are tough to pit for a salad, so if you can’t find them already pitted, use Kalamata instead. They are very similar.
  • Anchovy fillets: We always spend a little extra on good-quality anchovies packed in glass jars and give them a quick rinse and pat dry before adding them to our salad. It reduces the saltiness.
  • Capers: Like anchovy fillets, you can reduce any excess saltiness in capers by draining and rinsing them before adding them to the salad.

SWITCH UP THE FLAVORS: Try our Asian-inspired recipe for Sesame-Crusted Tuna Steaks served with fresh salad greens, steamed rice, and soy dipping sauce.

How to Make Salade Niçoise

This is an overview of how this dish is made. Detailed measurements, ingredients, instructions, and times are available in the printable version of the recipe below.

  1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and allow to cool before cutting into bite-sized pieces.
  2. While the potatoes cook, prepare the dressing. Combine the lemon juice, zest, mustard, garlic, and shallot in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is blended and emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
  3. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the haricot vert and set aside a large bowl of ice water. Drop the beans into the boiling water and cook until they are bright green and crisp-tender, then drain and plunge them into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain on a towel and set aside.
  4. Spread a small amount of the prepared dressing (a scant teaspoon) on both sides of the tuna steaks.
  5. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat, add 2 of the tuna steaks, and, depending on how well done you like your tuna, sear for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 minutes per side. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board to rest and repeat the process.
  6. While the tuna rests, compose the salads. Divide the lettuce between 4 serving plates, then arrange the other salad ingredients around the outer edges.
  7. Slice the tuna steaks, arrange them in the center of the plates, then spoon some dressing over each serving. Top with a few capers and a little freshly ground black pepper.

Scaling This Recipe for Two Servings

Salade Niçoise is very easy to scale down for just two servings by cutting the ingredient quantities in half, but you’ll likely be left with extra potatoes, capers, and anchovy fillets. Here are some ideas for making sure you don’t let the leftovers go to waste.

  • Consider cooking all the potatoes at once and reheating them in a skillet with some melted butter, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley or chives the following day.
  • Capers are packed in brine and will keep for four to six months in the refrigerator (just don’t drain them). Here’s another recipe that uses capers – Fish Puttanesca.
  • Leftover anchovies will keep a couple of weeks tightly sealed in their original jar, but you can also freeze them. To do that, separate them, lay them on a flat plate, and pop them in the freezer. Once they’re solid, transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag for later use.
A serving of Salade Niçoise with sliced seared tuna, potatoes, hard-cooked eggs, olives, green beans, and tomatoes over lettuce.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email. We’ll send a handy link straight to your inbox and add you to our mailing list.
Salade Niçoise with Pan-Seared Tuna
No ratings yet

Salade Niçoise with Pan-Seared Tuna

Served as a main course, our version of Salade Niçoise is made with pan-seared tuna steaks, hard-cooked eggs, potatoes, green beans, lettuce, tomatoes, olives and capers.
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 yellowfin (ahi) tuna steaks, 5 to 6 ounces each
  • 8 baby yellow potatoes, about 3/4 lb
  • 6 cups green leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered lengthwise
  • 3/4 lb haricot vert, or conventional fresh green beans
  • 8 Campari (cocktail) tomatoes, halved (substitute grape or cherry tomatoes)
  • 1/2 cup niçoise olives
  • 8 oil-packed anchovy fillets, optional
  • 2 tablespoons capers, drained

For the dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced shallot
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Save This Recipe
Enter your email. We’ll send a link to this recipe and subscribe you to our list.

Instructions 

  • Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool before cutting into bite-sized pieces.

Prepare the dressing

  • While the potatoes cook, prepare the dressing. Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, garlic, and shallot in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is blended and emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Blanch the beans

  • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the haricot vert and set aside a large bowl of ice water. Drop the beans into the boiling water and cook until they are bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes (conventional green beans may take longer).
  • Drain and plunge them into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain on a clean kitchen towel and set aside.

Prepare the tuna

  • Spread a small amount of the prepared dressing (a scant teaspoon) on both sides of the tuna steaks.
  • Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 of the tuna steaks to the pan and, depending on how well done you like your tuna, sear for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 minutes per side. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board to rest and repeat the process with the other 2 steaks.

Compose the salads

  • While the tuna rests, compose the salads. Divide the lettuce between 4 serving plates, then arrange the potatoes, hard-cooked eggs, beans, tomatoes, olives, and anchovies (if using) around the outer edges.
  • Slice the tuna steaks, arrange them in the center of the plates, then spoon some dressing over each serving. Top with a few capers and a little freshly ground black pepper if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 730kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 45g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 27g, Cholesterol: 258mg, Sodium: 863mg, Potassium: 1466mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 9214IU, Vitamin C: 64mg, Calcium: 146mg, Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Share with friends:


You May Also Like

Lynne Webb and Erika Pitera, creators of MyGourmetConnection in the kitchen, working on a soup recipe for the website.

About Us

We’re Lynne and Erika, a mother-daughter duo passionate about creating recipes that bring flavor and variety to your kitchen in a simple, approachable way.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please Leave A Rating




2 Comments

  1. Sounds divine & anxious to make the dish!
    Please advise…

    ‘FOR THE TUNA:’ No Ooil is called for…
    Step 4: ‘Prepare the Tuna’… says: “Combine the Olive oil”… etc.

    Question is how much Olive oil?

    1. Hi Stephen,
      Thank you for pointing out that error. I reviewed my original testing notes and realized that I could simplify the recipe by increasing the quantity on the dressing ingredients and calling for a small amount to be rubbed onto both sides of the tuna steaks before pan-searing.