Salade Nicoise - Eat Healthy, Happily!




I'm sharing my version of salade nicoise. This hearty summer dish originates from the French city of Nice. Modern renditions commonly includes cooked eggs, green bean, potatoes, olives, all the good stuff you can think of. I'm making mine with a quick seared tuna steak, and some not-quite hard boiled eggs.

This looks like a lot of ingredients, but each one takes little time to prep, and with a little multi-threading, you can easily complete this in under 15 minutes. 

Obligatory disclaimer: this is not exactly traditional; will fail purity test. But it makes for a very enjoyable summertime meal. The briny olives and creamy eggs complements the tuna perfectly. The starchiness from the potatoes, freshness of the green bean, and little bite from the shallot, just all work so well together.

This is one healthy dinner that won't leave you feel remotely deprived!

Ingredients:

for the dressing:
1 shallot, minced
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp olive oil

for the tuna:
6oz tuna
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp coarse fresh ground black pepper

other toppings:
eggs, soft-boiled
green bean, poached
baby red potato, cooked
kalamata olive
heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

Instruction:

Start by boiling the eggs as this will take the longest; about 7~8 minutes.

Meanwhile, start cooking the potatoes. Cut baby potatoes in halves (or regular potatoes into bite size). Microwave covered for 3~4 minutes, until fork tender.

While your potatoes and eggs are cooking, poach your green beans. Into salted boiling water, add the green beans and poach for a minute or two, just until the color turns bright green. Strain them out and chill them in iced water. This will help preserving the bright green color.

Chill cooked potatoes in cold water. Give it a toss to wash off the surface starch.

Dunk the cooked eggs in cold water. Peel both eggs and set aside.

Make the dressing in a jar. Add chopped shallot, lemon juice, dijon mustard, fresh ground pepper, salt, and sugar. Shake it up until mixed, and add olive oil. Give this another shake, and you're done. The whole process should take less than 30 seconds.

Make the dry rub for the tuna. Mix coarse sea salt with fresh ground black pepper. Dust the mix on a flat surface, and coat the tuna steak in the salt and pepper rub. Make sure you get all sides of the tuna steak. sear each side for about 10~15 seconds.

Assemble the salad. Start with a bed of green leaves, add the cooked eggs, potatoes, green beans, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, and seared tuna. Drizzle the dressing over everything. Enjoy!

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