Salad Nicoise

Great year-round salads are often hard to find if you are focused on sourcing local ingredients — pickings are slim in winter and early spring. I love this salad because it is flexible throughout the year. When I can use fresh tuna, just seared and thinly sliced, with heirloom tomatoes and garden greens, great. In winter, canned tuna is usually in the pantry, and I use wonderful greenhouse hydroponic lettuces, tomatoes, and wintered fingerling potatoes. And of course, eggs are always fresh and available year-round. This salad makes a wonderful meal with some very good bread and a crisp white wine.

Ingredients

6 large eggs, hardboiled (9 minutes), peeled, chilled and sliced in half

1 lb (450 g) greenhouse or garden lettuce (such as Boston bibb or mesclun mix)

8 fingerling potatoes, cooked and sliced lengthwise

1⁄2 English cucumber

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

8 oz (225 g) green beans, blanched in boiling water and chilled

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 pint (475 mL) cherry tomatoes, mixed colours

2 stalks celery, peeled and sliced on the bias

1 cup (250 mL) canned or preserved artichokes, sliced

3⁄4 cup (185 mL) Niçoise olives

2 x 6-oz (170-g) cans tuna in water

1⁄2 cup (125 mL) fresh basil leaves

3⁄4 cup (180 mL) Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Vinaigrette:

3 anchovy fillets

1 shallot, very finely minced

1 clove garlic, minced to a fine pulp

2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp (15 mL) white wine vinegar

1⁄2 tsp (3 mL) salt

1⁄2 tsp (3 mL) freshly ground black pepper

1⁄2 cup (125 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad:
It is best served on a large platter and shared “family style” with everybody helping themselves. Simply lay the greens on the platter and build the salad up from there, garnishing with slices of potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, artichokes, olives and crumbled tuna. Fresh basil leaves and a generous bath of vinaigrette is all you need for this simple rustic salad.
Serves 6

For the vinaigrette:
Smash anchovy fillets in a bowl with a fork and add shallot and garlic. Add mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream until vinaigrette is smooth and emulsified. For a larger salad simply double ingredients. Leftover dressing will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
Yields 3⁄4 cup (180 mL)

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Salad Nicoise