French salad with tuna nicoise. Niçoise: a classic tuna salad recipe and modern variations. Option with poached egg


The birthplace of this salad is the French city of Nice, located on the shores of the warm Mediterranean Sea. The name Niçoise has its roots in the name of the city Nice. According to the classic recipe for this Provençal traditional dish, it does not contain boiled vegetables. Provencal cuisine is widely known in the world as one of the most healthy and refined. There is even a special set of Provençal herbs, which is rightfully considered a classic and complements thousands of different dishes. It is prepared on a makeshift base of fresh lettuce leaves, and its main ingredients are canned or boiled tuna, raw vegetables, anchovy fillets and chicken eggs.

This salad has gained popularity not only in France, but also in many other countries. Nowadays, it is quite difficult to find a Niçoise salad prepared exactly according to the classic recipe, because even if the necessary preparation conditions are strictly observed, the components vary. Outside of southern France, the dish has even undergone various innovations; the requirements for the products used are not so stringent, which leads to the fact that recipes often include boiled potatoes and beans. It is often prepared with green legumes (peas or green beans), various types of onions, capers, cucumbers, and sweet peppers.

In America, the type of this salad popularized by Julia Child is more familiar; it is her version of preparing the dish and its various types that are common in English-speaking countries. All components of the salad are prepared in advance, and only then combined on a spacious plate; there are also forms that resemble a sandwich with such a salad.

Tuna, which is an obligatory component of the traditional recipe, is one of those types of fish that, even during the preservation process, do not lose all their beneficial properties. The taste of tuna is in no way inferior to meat, and in terms of the number of useful elements it contains, it is even superior. Tuna is rich in phosphorus, vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6, required for proper brain and cardiovascular function.

The main secret of this salad is its dressing. As a rule, the dressing for Niçoise is a vinaigrette sauce with the addition of Dijon mustard. It is a mixture of olive oil, light natural wine vinegar, red and black pepper, salt and a few drops of lemon juice. A more expanded version may contain shallots, garlic, or a mixture of Provençal herbs, chopped to a pulpy consistency.

The taste of this salad is a little unusual for national Russian cuisine. Quite famous, for example, is the Niçoise salad, performed in the Russian version. It involves replacing anchovies with the more popular sprat, which undoubtedly affects its taste somewhat.

Classic recipe

For the classic salad recipe you will need:

  1. 10 g anchovies;
  2. 10 pitted olives;
  3. One cucumber;
  4. One sweet pepper;
  5. A bunch of green lettuce;
  6. 8 cherry tomatoes;
  7. 1 can of canned tuna;
  8. 2 chicken eggs;
  9. 1 tsp Dijon mustard;
  10. 70 ml olive oil;
  11. 1 tbsp. dark balsamic vinegar;
  12. A pinch of salt;
  13. A pinch of ground black pepper.

To prepare Niçoise, lettuce leaves can be any kind, but it is better to take anchovies in oil or in a marinade.

Place a bed of well-washed and dried lettuce leaves on a wide plate. Moreover, the largest of them should be torn, decorating the edge of the dish with the torn tops.

Cut the sweet pepper and peeled cucumber into strips. Mix the vegetables and sprinkle them onto the salad base.

Drain excess water from the fish, and break the tuna into small slices and place on the vegetables.

Divide the tomatoes into quarters and arrange them nicely on the edges of the dish. Cut the olives in half and arrange over the fish.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, pepper and salt and whisk to form a sauce.

Garnish the finished salad with anchovy fillets and slices of hard-boiled eggs. Pour in the whipped emulsion and immediately onto the table. This dish is served as a preliminary cold appetizer, but can also be the main dish.

Second type of recipe

This dish will be especially tasty with ground, juicy and aromatic tomatoes, young onions and fresh sweet peppers.

You will need:

  1. Four tomatoes;
  2. Three boiled eggs;
  3. Three onions;
  4. A bunch of green lettuce;
  5. 8 anchovies;
  6. 200 g green beans;
  7. One sweet pepper;
  8. Two tbsp. olives;
  9. 150 g canned tuna;
  10. Three cloves of garlic;
  11. Seven tbsp. olive oil and a small amount for beans;
  12. Two tsp. lemon juice and about the same for beans;
  13. 7 basil leaves;
  14. 1.5 tbsp. vinegar;
  15. Salt pepper.

First, prepare the dressing - it should brew. To do this, combine oil, finely chopped or pressed clove of garlic, chopped basil, salt, pepper and wine vinegar.

Place beans in salted boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. To keep the color and shape of the pods unchanged, immerse them in cool water for a minute.

Heat oil in a frying pan, add crushed garlic cloves and beans. If you like it fresh and slightly crispy, fry for a minute, and if you like it soft and tender, fry for about three. Sprinkle the finished beans with parsley, remove from the stove, cool, and then season with lemon juice and olive oil.

Boil chicken eggs hard. Wash and chop the vegetables.

Place the green salad in a tall salad bowl with wide edges, then alternate layers of onions, peppers, tomatoes, and beans.

Repeat all layers several times and pour over the infused emulsion. Just before serving, top the salad with chopped tuna, olives, egg slices and anchovies. Season with a little salt and pepper and add lemon juice and olive oil.

Potato salad option

The next type of Niçoise salad is perfect when you need to quickly and tasty feed a group of people, each of whom has long developed their own culinary preferences. And thanks to the fact that the salad is not mixed when serving, everyone will be able to choose a product to their taste. In addition, you can add variety to the recipe by adding artichoke heads, different varieties of beans and olives, slices of bell pepper, quail eggs, capers, croutons, etc.

For the salad you will need:

  1. One head of iceberg lettuce;
  2. 3-4 medium-sized young potatoes;
  3. One small red sweet onion;
  4. 4 large tomatoes;
  5. 3 boiled eggs;
  6. 250 g canned tuna;
  7. 8 pcs. anchovy fillet;
  8. 0.5 tbsp. pitted olives;
  9. 1 handful of fresh green beans;
  10. A small bunch of parsley;
  11. 1.5 l. still water in a bottle.

For refueling:

  1. Six tbsp. olive oil;
  2. Two tbsp. apple cider vinegar;
  3. One tsp salt;
  4. Quarter tsp. black pepper.

Remove the ends of the bean pods, cut them into strips 3 cm long. Boil water from a bottle with 1 tbsp. salt, add beans and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then quickly drain the water, rinse the pods with cold water and place in a colander or paper towel.

Boil the eggs hard, peel and cut into quarters. Divide each tomato into 8 slices. Cut the anchovies and olives in half.

Wash the potatoes thoroughly, pour boiling water over them, add salt and cook in their jackets. Then cool, peel and cut each potato into 4 pieces.

Cut the onion into thin half rings. Place the iceberg on a plate, dividing it into separate leaves. Place potatoes mixed with onions on one side and all the remaining ingredients on the other.

Combine salt, pepper and vinegar for dressing. Once the salt has dissolved, beat the mixture with a fork. While continuing to whisk, pour in the olive oil in a thin stream.

Pour the dressing over the finished salad. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley leaves. The food is served to the table right away.

Chicken salad option

Salad Niçoise can be prepared with poultry. It can be tender turkey meat or the more familiar, which has already become traditional for Russia, chicken fillet. Chicken is an indispensable product; white meat is a source of easily digestible protein and a large number of other useful substances. Protein, in turn, saturates the body with amino acids that strengthen the immune system. In addition, chicken meat with its balanced composition of amino acids is a very important product in the children's diet. It is very useful for the formation of bone and muscle tissue and promotes the development of intellectual abilities.

To prepare Niçoise salad with chicken you will need:

  1. Four chicken fillets;
  2. 250 g fresh frozen green beans;
  3. Four boiled chicken eggs;
  4. 150 g cherry tomatoes;
  5. 50 g olives;
  6. 70 g arugula salad.

For refueling:

  1. Two cloves of garlic;
  2. One tbsp. lemon juice;
  3. 0.3 tbsp. olive oil;
  4. Two tsp. mustard seeds.

Wash the chicken fillet, place it in a saucepan of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove any foam that appears, reduce heat, add salt and bring to readiness. Then remove the meat from the broth and, after cooling, cut into 1.5 cm pieces.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the dressing. To do this, peel and chop the garlic. Whisk the butter with mustard, garlic and lemon juice.

Boil the remaining chicken broth, add the beans and cook until they are tender. This will take about 6-7 minutes. Then drain the beans in a colander.

Chicken eggs must be boiled “in the bag” for 5 minutes. Rinse with cool water, remove the shell and cut in half.

Cut the olives into circles. Wash and dry the arugula. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves.

Place the salad, beans and cherry tomatoes on a plate, pour over half the dressing and toss to coat.

Add the olive slices and stir again. Divide the salad into portions, garnishing with pieces of chicken meat and halved eggs on top. Drizzle with remaining dressing.

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than for yourself))

Mar 3 2017

Content

Canned tuna has long gained popularity as one of the most convenient bases for preparing snacks and salads, but most Russian housewives prefer to mix fish with rice and eggs with mayonnaise. For a change, try making a fresh, light salad Nice, or Niçoise.

How to cook Niçoise

One of the traditional dishes of Provencal cuisine, which was named after the famous city of Nice, is the Niçoise dish. This hearty and unusual French salad is usually made from boiled eggs, fresh vegetables, anchovies (tuna), and olive oil. For a simple dressing, use wine vinegar or lemon juice. The dish will be even tastier if you season it with a flavorful sauce made from several ingredients.

How to prepare Niçoise salad correctly, which recipe is better? In addition to the classic Provencal appetizer, there are many other interesting cooking methods. Standard ingredients are replaced or supplemented with rice, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, chicken, and so on. Below is a recipe for creating a classic sauce for a French treat.

Tuna salad dressing

Nicoise with tuna, which is prepared according to the classical method, is seasoned with a special aromatic sauce. It uses refined olive oil without flavoring, Dijon spicy mustard, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ground black pepper. The tuna salad dressing also includes various Provençal herbs: basil, oregano, thyme, sage, tarragon, etc. Not everyone likes the classic, so over time, many variations of the sauce for the French dish have appeared. You can use mayonnaise-based dressings.

Niçoise salad recipe

There are many variations of the classic Niçoise salad recipe. The dish always contains fresh vegetables, and other ingredients are added according to taste and desire. Below are several popular ways to create a tasty and light salad. Cooking does not take much time, and it can be served on holidays or every day.

Classic Niçoise salad recipe

  • Cooking time: 30 minutes.
  • Number of servings: 2 persons.
  • Calorie content: 102 kcal.
  • Purpose: breakfast, lunch.
  • Cuisine: French.
  • Difficulty: easy.

A light, nutritious classic Niçoise salad recipe that is equally suitable for a snack or a full meal. The incredible taste of the dish is explained by the excellent combination of fish (anchovies, tuna), tomatoes, and fresh lettuce. All products are affordable and can be found in any store. If you want to try an interesting, spicy dinner, then this option is ideal.

Ingredients:

  • anchovy carcasses – 6 pieces;
  • tuna (canned) – 1 can;
  • tomato – 2 pcs.;
  • olives – ½ can;
  • eggs – 2 pcs.;
  • lettuce leaves – 10 pcs.;
  • basil;
  • salt;
  • garlic – 2 cloves;
  • olive oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
  • Dijon mustard – 1 tbsp. spoon.

Cooking method:

  1. Remove the fish from the jars and cut into pieces.
  2. Open the olives and drain the liquid from them. Wash the tomatoes, lettuce, peel the garlic and immediately put under pressure.
  3. Pour boiling water over the lettuce leaves, tear them by hand, and place on a large flat plate.
  4. Place fish pieces on top.
  5. Then a layer of tomatoes, chopped into circles and boiled eggs, cut into slices.
  6. Place the olives in halves, placing them beautifully in the center of the appetizer (as in the picture).
  7. Mix garlic with oil and mustard. Pour dressing over the dish.
  8. Salt the tuna salad Niçoise and garnish with basil leaves.

Jamie Oliver's Salad Niçoise recipe

  • Cooking time: 30-40 minutes.
  • Calorie content: 73 kcal.
  • Purpose: dinner.
  • Cuisine: French.
  • Difficulty: easy.

Jamie Oliver is a world-famous chef from England. He teaches how to quickly make healthy and tasty dishes, and shows how to beautifully serve them to the table. Jamie Oliver's Niçoise salad recipe tells housewives how to make the dish satisfying and beautiful to get a new find for the everyday menu.

Ingredients:

  • young potatoes – 400 grams;
  • eggs – 4 pcs.;
  • salted anchovies – 350 g;
  • tuna in oil – 220 g;
  • salted capers - half a glass;
  • red onion – 1 head;
  • lemon – 2 pcs.;
  • arugula – 100 g;
  • lettuce leaves;
  • olive oil;
  • sea ​​salt, ground black pepper.

Cooking method:

  1. Wash the potatoes and boil them in their skins until tender.
  2. Cool boiled eggs and remove shells.
  3. Squeeze juice from lemons. Pour half of it into a deep container, throw capers in there for 5-10 minutes (to remove excess salt).
  4. Rinse the lettuce leaves with water and dry.
  5. Cut tuna and eggs into large pieces.
  6. Cut boiled warm potatoes in half and place in a deep plate.
  7. Add the remaining lemon juice, capers, chopped onion, salt and pepper.
  8. After a few minutes, eggs, tuna, and pieces of lettuce are added to the appetizer.
  9. Sprinkle the dish with oil, stir, garnish with anchovies on top and serve.

Salad Niçoise from Julia Vysotskaya

  • Cooking time: 50 minutes.
  • Number of servings: 2-3 persons.
  • Calorie content: 90 kcal.
  • Purpose: breakfast.
  • Cuisine: French.
  • Difficulty: easy.

A healthy, tasty and unusual dish for breakfast or lunch is Niçoise salad from Julia Vysotskaya. This snack is easy to make. Any novice cook can handle its preparation. This recipe involves the use of quail eggs, vegetables, beans, and fish. If desired, you can add capers or olives.

Ingredients:

  • tuna with oil – 300 g;
  • quail eggs – 10 pcs.;
  • cherry tomatoes – 12 pcs.;
  • bell pepper – 2 pcs.;
  • green beans – 450 g;
  • young potatoes – 10 pcs.;
  • capers – 100 g;
  • green onion – 1 bunch;
  • lemon juice – 100 grams;
  • red onion – ½ part;
  • mustard and wine vinegar - 1 tbsp. l.;
  • olive oil – 6 tablespoons;
  • sea ​​salt, pepper.

Cooking method:

  1. Remove excess ice from frozen beans and cook as directed.
  2. Boil potatoes in their jackets, hard-boil eggs (water should boil for 7-9 minutes).
  3. Remove the skin from the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Mix with beans, season with oil (2 tablespoons), stir.
  4. Add finely chopped bell peppers, chopped red and green onions.
  5. Divide the eggs in half, cherry tomatoes too. Add to the rest of the salad ingredients.
  6. Add capers and tuna crushed with a fork.
  7. You can start creating the dressing. Combine lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
  8. Pour the sauce over the salad and mix the ingredients well.
  9. Serve the appetizer cold.

If you open several cookbooks, you will read a different Niçoise recipe in each of them! Some cooks put boiled potatoes in it, sometimes even rice, but this is not a dogma. I followed those who do without such ingredients that “weigh down” the salad. But the presence of legumes is, perhaps, rather a rule. But you can choose legumes to your taste. I really love green beans, so that's why I used them.

As for the choice of tomatoes and eggs, be guided by your taste. Quail eggs and cherry tomatoes will look beautiful. On the other hand, the rich taste will suffer somewhat (I really like the latest culinary trend - using natural, simple ingredients where possible). And finally, tuna and anchovies. I used canned tuna in olive oil and also canned anchovies. Probably, in our latitudes you can do without anchovies altogether, but then the result will no longer be “Niçoise”, but your signature interpretation of the famous salad.


This salad is prepared very quickly because the ingredients are minimally processed. And we'll start with dressing (that's what they call salad dressing).

Pour 7 tablespoons of olive oil and 1.5 tablespoons of wine vinegar into a bowl. Now we add to them those components that will add a bouquet of taste and aroma to the future salad. I suggest using garlic (crush the peeled clove well and then finely chop), freshly ground pepper (I think a mixture of peppers is appropriate here), basil leaves (or other aromatic herbs of your choice). Add salt to the same sauce. Mix everything and set aside.


Now let's start cooking the beans. I used frozen beans, which I added to boiling salted water and simmered over low heat for about 5 minutes. To preserve the bright green color of the beans, you need to rinse them with cold water when they are ready. Therefore, I put the boiled beans in a colander and rinsed them with cold water.

It seems to me that a dish will be tasty when all its components are tasty. That's why I threw the boiled beans into the pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil and finely chopped garlic. And fried it for literally 1-2 minutes. Ready!


It remains to prepare the remaining ingredients: it is better to cut the tomatoes and boiled eggs in the same way, for example, into quarters. If your olives are small, then it is not necessary to cut them at all, but if desired, you can cut them in half.


Let’s start “assembling” the salad. Place torn lettuce leaves on the bottom of the plate, on top of which are thin onion feathers and pour a little sauce over them. Then - beans, distributed throughout the dish, and again a little salad dressing. In the center there is a mound of canned tuna, previously mashed with a fork. Surrounded by slices of tomatoes and eggs. And - as a final touch - several anchovy fillets. Before using, be sure to taste the anchovies; if they are very salty, then soak them a little in cold water.

You can add a little sauce or freshly ground pepper to taste. Salad ready! I think it is very balanced, healthy, tasty and elegant. I think that if you serve such a salad at your holiday table, your guests will be pleasantly surprised: a piece of sunny France in your home.


We present to your attention a classic recipe for Nicoise salad with tuna and its adapted versions. The birthplace of this culinary masterpiece is France, or more precisely, the city of Nice. Translated from French, niçoise means “from Nice.”

In the late 60s of the twentieth century, tuna appeared as part of the dish. Today this recipe is considered traditional and in many French restaurants this dish is prepared with tuna.

The salad is often called the “Provencal mystery.” Who and when first prepared this dish remains a mystery. In addition, it is difficult to say what exactly was included in the first “Niçoise” - debates on the topic of the classic recipe do not subside even today. But there is still a generally accepted version: initially the dish was prepared from anchovy fillets, tomatoes and olives, and seasoned with a sauce based on olive oil with the addition of wine vinegar and garlic. This light, tasty and nutritious salad was the food of ordinary fishermen.

There are many options for preparing Provençal salad in the world. Green beans (green beans, peas), lettuce, capers, red onions, artichokes, bell peppers and eggs are often added to the composition. These ingredients are considered optional, but each version is valid. So modern “Niçoise” is not a specific salad, but rather a style of cooking.

French anchovy salad was prepared and mentioned in their books by famous cooks Julia Child, Auguste Escoffier and the legendary Joël Robuchon. Provençal salad is depicted in paintings by Renoir, Matisse and Bonnard. “Niçoise” is not just a set of ingredients, it is a dish with a rich history, a symbol and pride of national French cuisine.

While connoisseurs and chefs from all over the world are racking their brains about what a real Niçoise salad should be like, we suggest you prepare this dish according to a recipe that can be considered traditional.

The simplest and easiest option is to use tuna canned in its own juice for the salad. The composition of the dressing can be “modified” to your liking. The most common sauce is a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and a small amount of wine vinegar. To taste, you can add chopped herbs, mustard, sesame seeds, honey or sugar to the dressing.

Cooking time: 40 minutes
Number of servings: 5-6

Ingredients:

  • Kenyan/green beans fresh/frozen (200 g);
  • anchovy in oil, fillet (50 g);
  • chicken egg (2-3 pcs.);
  • cherry tomatoes (10-12 pcs.);
  • Kalamata olives in oil/canned olives, pitted (200-300 g);
  • red onion (medium, 1 pc.);
  • romaine lettuce/iceberg/other (150 g);
  • green onions (3-4 feathers);
  • basil (50 g);
  • olive oil (for dressing, 6 tbsp.);
  • wine/apple/balsamic vinegar (1 tbsp);
  • lemon juice (1 tbsp);
  • Dijon mustard (1 tsp);
  • liquid honey (1 tsp);
  • garlic (2 cloves);
  • salt, freshly ground black pepper and other spices (to taste).

Preparation:

The salad will turn out more piquant if you do not blanch the Kenyan beans, but saute them with garlic.

Option for cooking beans

Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add crushed garlic (2 cloves) and beans. Fry, stirring, for 2 minutes. If you like soft beans, cook them for 4-5 minutes. Remove the beans from the heat, pour over the garlic oil in which they were cooked, sprinkle with lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped parsley (2 tablespoons).

A dish for true gourmets. Fresh tuna fillet marinated in a spicy sauce, served on a bed of vegetables with herbs, capers, olives, juicy red onions, tender quail eggs, green beans and radish slices. Try to cook this dish and you will get a real gastronomic pleasure!

Cooking time: 40 minutes
Number of servings: 6-7

Ingredients:

If you are not ready to eat raw fish yet, simply fry the fillet pieces in a hot frying pan for 1-2 minutes on each side. The tuna will be especially juicy if you first marinate it in soy sauce and sesame oil for several hours (the longer the tuna is marinated, the juicier and softer it becomes).

Preparation:

  1. Wash the tuna fillet and dry with a paper towel. Using a sharp knife, cut into thin slices.
  2. Peel the garlic, wash it and pass through a press. In a bowl, combine wine, lemon juice (3 tbsp), olive (4 tbsp) and sesame oils, soy sauce, honey, garlic, dry herbs and freshly ground pepper. Beat the mixture thoroughly with a fork.
  3. Pour marinade over tuna pieces. Distribute the marinade by rubbing it into the fish pieces. Leave the fish to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes (tuna is marinated for 15 minutes to 2 hours).
  4. Boil quail eggs hard (put into boiling water using a teaspoon and cook for 3-4 minutes after boiling again). Cool in cold water.
  5. Wash the bean pods and blanch in salted water for 3-4 minutes (frozen beans - 5-7 minutes). Place the finished beans in a colander and rinse with cold running water.
  6. Wash the bell pepper, remove the stem and remove the seeds. Cut into cubes.
  7. Wash the radishes, remove the stems and dry with a napkin. Cut into slices (circles).
  8. Wash the basil, dry with a napkin and divide into sprigs.
  9. Wash the lettuce leaves, dry with a kitchen towel and cut into small pieces.
  10. Drain marinade from capers and olives.
  11. Peel the cooled eggs and cut them into halves.
  12. Mix 2 tbsp. l. olive oil and 2 tbsp. l. lemon juice. The gas station is ready.
  13. Make a bed of lettuce leaves on serving plates. Add green beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, radishes and eggs. Sprinkle with olives, capers and red onion. Drizzle with dressing. Remove the tuna slices from the marinade and place on a bed of vegetables. Sprinkle with basil leaves.
To prepare the marinade, you can use sake, red or rice wine, orange or grapefruit juice, wine or rice vinegar. To enhance the aroma, add grated ginger root, chili pepper, mustard, and fresh or dried herbs to taste. If the marinade contains soy sauce, then there is no need to salt the fish. The simplest marinade for tuna is a mixture of olive oil (4 parts), lemon juice (1 part), balsamic vinegar (1 part) and black pepper.

How to cut a tuna carcass

  • Rinse the fish with running water. Using a sharp knife, cut off the head and remove the gills, trimming them on both sides. Rinse with water;
  • cut off the tail;
  • cut the fish along the belly and remove the entrails. Scrape the inside of the spine to remove the black membrane (otherwise the fish will taste bitter). Rinse with water;
  • cut out the pelvic fin by trimming the skin on both sides. Using a sharp knife, cut the skin along the dorsal fin on one side and the other. Pull out the fin by pulling its tip in the direction from the tail to the head of the fish;
  • remove the skin from the tuna (if you decide to cook with the skin, then you need to peel it from scales while the carcass is still whole). From the side of the tail, pull the skin towards the head, first on one side, then on the other (it is easily separated from the pulp). Cut off the lower part of the abdomen to the tips of the ribs;
  • Run a wide, sharp knife along the spine, separating the fillet on both sides.

Fillet can be baked, fried, stewed or marinated. The head, tail and lower part of the abdomen (the most fleshy, fatty and tender part) will make an excellent soup set.

A traditional dish of French country cuisine. Warm salad with sesame seed breaded tuna, fried potato wedges, fresh vegetables and herbs.

Potatoes are the most controversial ingredient, but in many French restaurants the salad is served with boiled potatoes in their jackets.

Cooking time: 50 minutes
Number of servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

  • chilled tuna, fillet (500 g);
  • young potatoes (medium, 6-8 pcs.);
  • fresh/frozen green beans (250 g);
  • tomato (3-4 pcs.);
  • chicken egg (3-4 pcs.);
  • iceberg lettuce/lettuce/other leafy lettuce (150 g);
  • rice vinegar (4 tbsp);
  • sesame oil (4 tbsp);
  • olive oil (6 tbsp);
  • white sesame seeds (4 tbsp);
  • black sesame seeds (4 tbsp);
  • soy sauce (3 tbsp.);
  • ground paprika (to taste);

Preparation:

  1. Wash the tuna fillet, dry it with a paper towel and cut into small pieces, 2-3 cm thick.
  2. Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar (3 tbsp) and 2 tbsp. l. sesame and olive oils. Pour the resulting marinade over the fish pieces and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  3. Wash the potatoes thoroughly and boil in their skins (15-20 minutes after boiling in salted water). Cool.
  4. Cut the potatoes into large slices. Heat 2 tbsp in a frying pan. l. olive oil and fry the potato wedges until golden brown (3-5 minutes).
  5. Remove the fish from the marinade and dry each piece with a paper towel. Mix 2 types of sesame seeds and roll tuna pieces in them.
  6. Heat the remaining sesame and olive oils (2 tablespoons each) in a frying pan and fry the tuna pieces over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side. The tuna should be covered with a golden sesame crust on top, but remain reddish inside.
  7. Wash the tomatoes and cut the pulp into slices.
  8. Wash the lettuce leaves and dry with a towel. Coarsely chop or tear by hand.
  9. Boil water in a large saucepan for poaching eggs. While the water is boiling, place lettuce, beans, potato wedges, tomatoes and tuna pieces on serving plates. If desired, sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.
  10. Break the eggs into separate bowls. Add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp to boiling water. l. rice vinegar. Carefully pour the eggs into the pan one at a time (do not cook more than 2-3 eggs in the pan at the same time). Cook for 3 minutes until the white begins to envelop the yolk. Immediately place the eggs, removing them from the water with a slotted spoon, onto the finished salad. Season with paprika.

We invite you to watch a video recipe for a warm salad with seared tuna and poached egg:

How to cook a poached egg

Some tips for making perfect poached eggs:

  • use only very fresh eggs for cooking, otherwise the white will not envelop the yolk and, under the influence of boiling water, will turn into “rags”;
  • Before boiling the eggs, you need to salt the water a little and add 1 tbsp. l. white vinegar - it will promote coagulation (clotting) of the protein, ensuring better envelopment of the yolk with protein;
  • The water should not boil or bubble too much - this can damage the yolk. Place the eggs when the water just begins to boil;
  • Before adding the egg, stir the water with a whisk to form a funnel. Lower the egg into this funnel - thanks to its movement, the white will better envelop the yolk;
  • If you are afraid of not being able to cope with the process of pouring a raw egg into a pan of boiling water, use cling film for this purpose. Line the bottom of a bowl with cling film, add a drop of vegetable oil, and then crack the egg into the bowl. Secure the edges of the film and lower the resulting bag into boiling water;
  • The density of the yolk will depend on the cooking time. If you boil an egg for 2-3 minutes, the yolk will turn out creamy, if you cook it for 5 minutes, it will be denser. And if you leave the egg in the water for 7 minutes, you will get a hard-boiled egg. Everyone's tastes are different, however, in the traditional version, the yolk should spread when you pierce the white with a fork.

A beautiful, satisfying, healthy and, of course, very tasty dish. New potatoes boiled in their jackets, tender quail eggs, juicy radishes, sweet cherry tomatoes, greens, olives and, of course, tuna - a whole extravaganza of tastes. This salad is prepared by residents of French fishing villages. The dish is ideal for picnics and can replace a full lunch or dinner for the whole family.

Cooking time: 1 hour
Number of servings: 8

Ingredients:

  • chilled tuna, fillet (300-400 g);
  • fresh/frozen green beans (300-400 g);
  • young potatoes (small, 8-10 pcs.);
  • canned olives, pitted (200-300 g);
  • radishes (300-400 g);
  • cherry tomato (300 g);
  • quail egg (10-12 pcs.);
  • iceberg lettuce/lettuce/other leafy lettuce (150-200 g);
  • olive oil (100 ml);
  • dry white wine (100 ml);
  • parsley root (1 pc.);
  • bay leaf (2-3 pcs.);
  • allspice, peas (3-4 pcs.);
  • balsamic/wine vinegar (2 tbsp);
  • Dijon mustard (1 tbsp);
  • garlic (2-3 cloves);
  • dried tarragon/basil/rosemary (0.5 tsp);
  • salt, freshly ground pepper (to taste).
The dish can be varied and supplemented with other products. Ideal for tuna: avocados, citrus fruits, bell peppers, green peas, cucumbers, zucchini, champignons, carrots and celery. Cheeses that go best with tuna include parmesan, cheddar, edam, mozzarella, feta and goat cheese.

Preparation:

  1. Wash the potatoes thoroughly and boil them in their skins (about 20 minutes after boiling in salted water, cooking time depends on the size of the tubers). Cool.
  2. Clean and wash the fish. Cut into portions. Place in a pan of boiling water, add salt to taste, bay leaf, peeled parsley root, wine and allspice. Cook for 5-7 minutes after boiling again. Cool in broth.
  3. Boil quail eggs hard-boiled. To do this, place them in boiling water using a spoon and cook for 3-4 minutes. Cool in cold water.
  4. Wash the bean pods, place them in boiling salted water and boil until tender (blanch fresh pods for 3-4 minutes, frozen ones for 5-7 minutes). Place the finished beans in a colander and rinse with cold running water.
  5. Wash the radishes, trim off the stems and cut into large slices.
  6. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into halves.
  7. Cut the cooled potatoes into circles or slices.
  8. Break the tuna fillet into small pieces, removing the bones.
  9. Peel the eggs and cut them into halves.
  10. Wash the lettuce leaves and dry with a kitchen towel.
  11. Drain liquid from olives.
  12. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tarragon, salt and pepper to taste. Add 2-3 cloves of garlic (pass through a press) and beat thoroughly with a fork. The gas station is ready.
  13. On a large platter, make a bowl of lettuce leaves. Place the ingredients in separate mounds and place the tuna fillet in the center. Drizzle dressing over salad. If desired, you can decorate the dish with sprigs of herbs.
To dress tuna salads, instead of olive oil, you can use butter (melted) or sesame oil. Mayonnaise, teriyaki, soy sauce, pesto, aioli and salsa are excellent sauces. Spices and seasonings that go well with tuna include rosemary, basil, thyme, cumin, mustard, ginger, sesame, coriander and white pepper.

The salad is ready, you can serve it!

An exquisite, tasty and beautiful dish for a romantic or festive dinner. The unusual duet of fresh cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes leaves an interesting aftertaste. Spicy capers, olives and Parmesan are in perfect harmony with tuna.

Cooking time: 15 minutes
Number of servings: 2-4

Ingredients:

  • tuna canned in its own juice (200-300 g);
  • parmesan (50 g);
  • canned olives, pitted (100-200 g);
  • red cherry tomato (3-4 pcs.);
  • yellow cherry tomato (3-4 pcs.);
  • sun-dried tomato (2 tbsp);
  • pickled capers (2 tbsp.);
  • arugula (70 g);
  • watercress (50 g);
  • basil (30 g);
  • olive oil (3 tbsp);
  • balsamic vinegar (1 tbsp);
  • salt, freshly ground pepper (to taste).
Parmesan can be replaced with more affordable analogues - Grana Padano cheese (this hard variety also has a nutty taste, however, it is saltier), Dziugas (the so-called Lithuanian Parmesan) or other hard cheese.

Preparation:

  1. Cut the Parmesan into slices using the appropriate side of a grater.
  2. Wash the cherry tomatoes, dry with a napkin and cut into slices.
  3. Wash the arugula, watercress and basil, dry with a napkin and disassemble into sprigs.
  4. Drain the olives and cut them in half.
  5. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces.
  6. Drain the capers. Cut large buds in half.
  7. Drain the juice from the tuna and mash the fish with a fork.
  8. In a separate container, mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar, shake thoroughly with a fork.
  9. Place arugula, cherry tomatoes, olives and tuna on serving plates. Sprinkle with capers, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan. Garnish the dish with watercress and basil leaves. Season with freshly ground pepper and drizzle with dressing. Gently stir with tongs (see photo for recipe for an example of how to decorate a dish).
To make the salad more filling, you can add boiled quail eggs and pickled artichokes.

The dish is ready!

The most affordable and quickest recipe option. This dish can be a complete lunch or dinner. To make the salad tasty, you need to boil the pasta until al dente and use the tuna in its own juice. Choose canned tuna in large chunks rather than flakes.

Cooking time: 20 minutes
Number of servings: 4

Ingredients:

  • tuna canned in its own juice (200-300 g);
  • ditalini pasta/elbow macaroni/penne/other (150 g);
  • canned olives, pitted (200-300 g);
  • red onion (large, 1 pc.);
  • parsley (1 bunch);
  • olive/other vegetable oil (for dressing, 100 ml);
  • balsamic/wine vinegar (for dressing, 1 tbsp.);
  • liquid honey (for dressing, 1 tsp);
  • basil (for dressing, 20 g);
  • garlic (for dressing, 2-3 cloves);
  • lemon (for dressing, 0.5 pcs.);
  • salt, freshly ground pepper and other spices (to taste).
The salad dressing must be prepared in advance (20 minutes in advance) so that it infuses and is saturated with the aromas of garlic, zest and basil.

Preparation:

  1. Peel the garlic, wash it and pass through a press. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (do not heat it, but warm it up), add the garlic and cook for 1-1.5 minutes, stirring, until soft. Pour the oil into a bowl. Remove the zest from the lemon (about 1 tsp). Wash the basil, dry with a napkin and chop very finely. Mix oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, zest and basil. Beat with a fork. The sauce is ready.
  2. Cook the pasta until al dente (cook pasta for the minimum number of minutes indicated on the package or 1 minute less). Cook in plenty of salted boiling water, uncovered. Add 1 tbsp to water. l. olive oil. Drain the water from the finished pasta and immediately pour half of the sauce over it.
  3. Drain the liquid from the olives. Cut into halves.
  4. Wash the parsley and dry with a kitchen towel. Finely chop with a knife.
  5. Peel, wash and chop the red onion into thin half rings.
5.00 / 10 votes

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Salad Niçoise originates in France, and from there it spread throughout the culinary world.

It belongs to that category of masterpieces, the recipe of which changes slightly in each country, something national is added, and more and more new components appear in the composition. Exactly the same fate as Olivier, Greek salad, Caesar.

Now you can argue which composition of Niçoise is still considered a classic. But in any case, you should definitely try it, because it is very tasty. The main thing is not to be intimidated by the large number of ingredients. They are all accessible and not expensive, so take a chance and prepare such an elegant salad.

Let a piece of sunny France settle in your home for a moment.

Classic Niçoise salad recipe

The classic French salad recipe includes quite a few ingredients, but they all go well together. It is light, at the same time nutritious and very healthy.

Salad ingredients:

  • green beans - 200 g;
  • olive oil (for frying beans) - 10-20 ml;
  • garlic - 1 clove;
  • lemon juice - 1 tablespoon;
  • lettuce leaves - 1 small bunch;
  • salad onion (white or red) - 1-2 pieces;
  • canned tuna - 1 can;
  • tomatoes - 3-4 pieces;
  • chicken eggs - 3 pieces;
  • bell pepper - 1 piece;
  • anchovies - 10 pieces;
  • pitted olives - 10 pieces.
Dressing ingredients:
  • olive oil - 1 tablespoon;
  • wine vinegar - 1 tablespoon;
  • salt and ground black pepper - a pinch;
  • garlic and basil - to your taste.

Preparation:

1. Boil the beans for 5 minutes, then rinse with ice water (this will preserve their bright, rich green color). Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add chopped garlic and boiled beans, fry for 5-6 minutes. Cool and sprinkle with lemon juice.

2. Boil hard-boiled eggs, remove, peel, and cut into quarters.

3. Cut the peeled and washed onion into thin half rings.

4. Wash the tomatoes and cut into slices.

5. Remove the seeds and stem from the pepper, wash it and cut into medium slices.

6. Wash the lettuce leaves, dry them, and tear them with your hands.

7. Drain the liquid from the canned tuna and use a fork to crush it.

8. Make the dressing, just mix all the ingredients together. Use garlic to your taste, you can take cloves and chop them, or use dried ground garlic; if you don’t like it, you can do without garlic. Basil can be used both fresh and dried.

9. And now we will collect Nicoise.

Line the bottom of a large wide salad bowl with torn lettuce leaves, place the onion on top and pour a little dressing over it. Transfer the fried beans, distributing them evenly over the entire surface, and season again a little.

Place tuna in the center in the form of a small slide. Place slices of tomatoes, peppers and eggs around. Place anchovies and olives on top (if they are very large, you can cut them in half). Pour over the dressing, you can add a little more lemon juice and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to your taste.

Other variations of Niçoise salad
We looked at the classic recipe in detail. There are situations in life when you don’t have one or another necessary ingredient at hand, and you have to improvise; the result is a slightly modified Niçoise.

Niçoise is almost classic

Here the green beans are replaced with fresh cucumber, you can omit the onions (at your discretion) and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard is also added to the dressing.

Niçoise with potatoes

Almost nothing changes here, just add 3-4 medium potatoes, boiled in their jackets, cut into quarters and arranged, as well as tomatoes and eggs around the tuna slide.

Serving the salad will also look beautiful if you place potato pieces in the center and all the other ingredients around it. The entire salad is eventually sprinkled with finely chopped fresh parsley.

Niçoise with chicken

In this version, the ingredients are as follows: beans, lettuce, eggs, tomatoes, olives, and instead of tuna, boiled chicken fillet, torn into fibers or cut into pieces. The dressing consists of 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, two minced garlic cloves and 2 teaspoons grainy mustard.

Nicoise dacha

After all, many people like to spend the summer at the dacha doing gardening and vegetable gardening; they don’t have enough time for culinary delights, so our summer residents came up with their own version of the French salad. You can skip the green beans in this recipe.

Pick fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers from the garden, wash everything and cut into large pieces. Boil jacket potatoes and eggs, peel them and cut into quarters. Open a jar of canned saury, slightly disassemble the fish into pieces, put it in a salad bowl, add all the other prepared ingredients there, sprinkle with torn lettuce leaves, onion half rings and fresh herbs on top.

If you have olives, add them, season with a little vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Believe me, in the evening in the fresh air, when it gets a little dark, crickets begin to sing and the aroma of all garden flowers becomes especially intense, plus such a delicious country Niçoise - it’s even better than in France.

15 Feb 2016 1395

Discussion: 2 comments

    I liked the version of the country salad with a beautiful name, but I’m already tired of the usual tomatoes and cucumbers, and if you add fish and eggs, everything will be much tastier and juicier!

    Answer

    At first I thought it was something from Mediterranean or Italian salad recipes, but here the French one is very interesting, I can already imagine its soft, delicate taste due to wine vinegar.

    Answer