SERVES 6
This classic French salad can be built with a never-ending variety of vegetables, herbs, and vinaigrettes. It rarely tastes the same in any two places. It does, however, traditionally include tuna, hard-boiled eggs, and blanched haricots verts—or their American cousin, green beans. Niçoise makes a bountiful, beautiful presentation arranged on a large platter. Here, thick, meaty slices of Italian tuna in olive oil are called for; don’t substitute them—you won’t regret it.
For the salad
1 pound small new potatoes
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
2 (7-ounce) jars tuna in olive oil (preferably Flott, Callipo, or Wild Planet)
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 bunch large radishes, thinly sliced
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
5 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
For the vinaigrette:
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 shallots, minced
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup chopped parsley leaves
To make the salad:
1. Boil a large pot of water over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook for about 20 minutes, or until a fork can just pierce the flesh. The potatoes will still be firm; do not overcook. Drain and set aside.
2. Refill the pot with water and return to high heat. Boil the green beans for 2–3 minutes. They should still be a vibrant green and just fork-tender. Run cold water over the beans to stop the cooking process. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
To make the vinaigrette:
1. Put the garlic, lemon juice, mustard, and shallots in a small bowl and whisk thoroughly. Drizzle the olive oil into the bowl in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Stir in the parsley.
2. To assemble the salad, line a large platter with the butter lettuce leaves. Arrange the tuna, potatoes, green beans, bell peppers, radishes, cucumber, and hard-boiled eggs in separate mounds around the platter and drizzle the vinaigrette over all. Serve any extra vinaigrette on the side.