At first glance, this recipe seems overly complicated. It’s just a salad, right? You just arrange the ingredients on the platter and add the dressing. Why all the steps?
Julia Child was very particular about several things, and in this case, with excellent reason. Salade Niçoise is a composed salad, meaning that arranging the ingredients and adding the dressing makes a difference. Each element is dressed separately, avoiding the all-too-familiar experience of far too much dressing pooling in some areas, leaving others completely bare.
It doesn’t take much time. Completely worth it. Trust me on this.
Salade Niçoise a la Julia
Julia Child’s Salade Niçoise: a composed salad where each ingredient is dressed to perfection. Elegant, balanced, and unmistakably French.
- Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients
For the tuna
- 227 g or 8 oz fresh tuna
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 15 m or 1 tbsp olive oil
- 9 g or 1 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
For the salad dressing
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 5 ml or 1 tsp finely minced garlic
- 15 ml or 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml or 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- ½ tsp dry mustard or 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 118 ml or 4 oz c olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh herbs, finely chopped (basil, thyme or Italian parsley are all good choices)
For the potatoes
- 340 g or 12 oz small potatoes
- 1 tsp fresh chives, finely chopped
- 30 – 45 ml or 2 – 3 tbsp white wine or chicken stock, plus an equal quantity of water
For the salad
- 1 large Boston lettuce, washed, leaves separated into leaves
- 300 g or 10 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 240 g or 8 oz French green beans, blanched and chilled
- 4 hard-cooked eggs*, peeled and quartered
- 45 g or 2 oz Niçoise or Kalamata olives, drained
- 15 g or 2 tbsp capers, drained
- 10 g or 3 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
Prepare the tuna
- Season the tuna with salt and pepper.
- In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the tuna as desired (1-2 minutes per side for rare). Chill thoroughly and roll in toasted sesame seeds before slicing.
Prepare the vinaigrette
- Using a mortar and pestle or a wooden spoon, mash the garlic with the salt until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, beat the garlic paste with the lemon juice, vinegar and mustard. Whisk in the olive oil. Add the pepper and herbs.
Prepare the potato salad
- Steam the potatoes until just tender when pierced with a fork; cut in half.
- In a large bowl, toss the warm potatoes with the wine or chicken stock and water. Let them absorb as much liquid as they will for about 5 minutes, tossing a couple more times. Season with salt & pepper. Fold gently with 2 tbsp of the vinaigrette. Sprinkle with the chives. Set aside.
Assemble the salad
- Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter (or individual plates) just before serving. Arrange the components attractively, starting in the centre with the tuna. Toss the beans and tomatoes with a bit of dressing before adding them to the platter. Add the eggs, yolk side up. Distribute the capers over the tuna and eggs, drizzling both with a bit of dressing. Add the olives; sprinkle the parsley, and you’re ready to serve.
Notes
*Julia Child’s Method for Hard-Cooked Eggs
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water by about an inch. Cover the pan and bring it just to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, immediately remove the pan from the heat and let it stand, still covered, for 12 minutes. Then transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool. Peel once chilled.
Result: Tender whites, creamy yolks, and no grey ring—just as Julia intended.
Adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Mmmmm.
This is my favorite thing !
★★★★★
It’s a summer favourite!