Nicoise Salad
4-6 ounce piece of tuna
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salt and pepper, to taste
nonstick cooking spray
Boston bibb lettuce
green beans, ends trimmed
hardboiled eggs
cherry tomatoes, cut in half
niçoise olives
sherry and lemon vinaigrette (recipe below)
Fill a large bowl with ice water. Line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels. Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 1 minute. Using a spider, transfer the green beans to the ice water until cold. Remove and drain on a paper towel lined plate. You can use the same water to boil the eggs. Bring the water to a gentle boil and carefully lower the eggs into the pot. Bring the water back up to a gentle boil and cook for about 8-9 minutes for a more “jammy” center and 11- 12 minutes for a hardboiled egg. Plunge the cooked eggs into the ice water and let sit for least 5-10 minutes or until cold. Peel and set aside.
Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Lightly spray a grill pan with nonstick cooking spray. Sear the tuna all over for about 15-20 seconds on all sides. Remove from the pan and slice thin.
Build the salad by arranging the lettuce down on your serving plate. Top with the green beans, cherry tomatoes and Niçoise olives, placing each component its own section of the salad. Cut the eggs in half and add a couple pieces to the plate. Top with the sliced tuna. Dress with as much sherry and lemon vinaigrette as desired and serve.
For the sherry and lemon vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
juice from ½ lemon
1 small shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
heavy pinch salt
small pinch pepper
½ cup avocado, sunflower or olive oil
Combine all ingredients for the salad dressing in a bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking constantly to emulsify the dressing.