Classic Niçoise Salad

This elegant Salad Niçoise recipe may seem sophisticated, but it’s surprisingly simple to prepare at home!

What Is a Niçoise Salad? 

Originating from the Nice region of France in the 19th century, Salad Niçoise is a traditional French dish made with mixed greens, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives, fresh vegetables, and either anchovies or tuna. It can be served as a tossed or arranged salad. 

Ingredients for Salad Niçoise

Here are the ingredients you'll need to prepare this delicious Salad Niçoise recipe: 

• Produce: You’ll need new potatoes, fresh green beans, an onion, Niçoise olives, mixed salad greens, and plum tomatoes. Fresh parsley lends color and flavor. 
• Dressing: Use a store-bought lemon vinaigrette or make your own at home. 
• Eggs: Hard-cooked eggs are a staple of the traditional salad Niçoise.
• Jarred fish: Canned tuna and anchovy filets add bold flavor. 
• Capers: A tablespoon of capers adds even more pleasant saltiness. 

How to Prepare Salad Niçoise

For a quick preview, here’s an outline of what to expect when making Salad Niçoise – the full, detailed recipe is provided below:

1. Boil the potatoes until tender yet firm.
2. Combine the potatoes, green beans, tuna, onion, parsley, olives, and parsley, then chill.
3. Toss the greens with vinaigrette and top with the chilled potato mixture.
4. Garnish with the remaining ingredients.

Can You Prepare Salad Niçoise in Advance? 

You can prep the Salad Niçoise ingredients ahead of time—boiling the potatoes, eggs, and making the vinaigrette—but it's best to assemble everything just before serving. 

Dinogo Community Tips and Feedback

“This simplified version of Julia Child's classic Salad Niçoise was exactly what I needed for a quick, healthy dinner,” shares one Dinogo community member. 

“For better flavor, use tuna packed in oil as they do in Europe,” recommends Griffy. “It tastes amazing and doesn’t have that 'canned' flavor. I buy Rio brand at the Italian market.”

“I love this recipe,” shares jdbauer. “The only modification I made was using fresh Ahi Tuna, pan-seared, instead of canned tuna. It turned out really well.”

Editorial input by Corey Williams

Ingredients List

• ½ pound new potatoes, quartered

• ⅓ pound fresh green beans - rinsed, trimmed and blanched

• 1 (5 ounce) can tuna

• ½ onion, thinly sliced

• ¼ cup pitted nicoise olives

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

• ½ pound mixed salad greens

• 1 cup lemon vinaigrette

• 3 hard-cooked eggs, quartered

• 3 roma (plum) tomatoes, thinly sliced

• 4 anchovy filets

• 1 tablespoon capers

Cooking Instructions

Prepare all ingredients before starting the recipe.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until they are tender but firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and let them cool.

Mix the potatoes, green beans, tuna, onion, parsley, olives, and parsley in a large bowl; refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

Toss the greens with vinaigrette in a salad bowl and top with the chilled potato mixture. Garnish with eggs, tomatoes, anchovies, and capers.

Serve and enjoy!

Nutritional Information (per serving)