Salade niçoise

Nice's composed summer salad: raw tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, black olives, cucumber, radishes and haricots verts on a bed of lettuce, dressed in a sharp vinaigrette: the great composed salad of the Riviera, in which everything is raw or briefly cooked and nothing is warm

Origin: Nice, Provence, France

From the journey of Tomato.

The salade niçoise is one of the most contested dishes in French gastronomy, not in its esteem, which is universal, but in its composition. The people of Nice are ferociously protective of the authentic version and deeply hostile to the Parisian and international interpolations that have corrupted it. The authentic niçoise, as defended by the Académie de la Cuisine Niçoise (established in 2007), contains no cooked vegetables whatsoever, no boiled green beans, no boiled potatoes, no cooked peppers. It is a raw salad: sliced ripe tomatoes, raw broad beans or small artichoke hearts (when in season), cucumber, spring onions, radishes, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies preserved in oil, good canned tuna (in olive oil), Niçoise olives (the small, wrinkled black olives native to the region), and fresh basil. The whole is dressed with extra virgin olive oil, a little wine vinegar, and salt. Nothing is warm; nothing is dressed ahead of time; nothing is cooked beyond the eggs and perhaps the tuna. The version that conquered the international restaurant world (with green beans and boiled potatoes) is a Parisian creation, dating from the early 20th century, that the people of Nice regard with contempt. This recipe honours the authentic Nice tradition, though it acknowledges the cooked-bean version that most of the world knows.

Ingredients

Salad

4 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
4 eggs, hard-boiled (9 minutes), peeled and halved
200 g best-quality canned tuna in olive oil, drained (or 2 fresh tuna steaks, briefly seared and flaked)
8 fillets anchovies in olive oil, drained
100 g Niçoise olives (or small Kalamata olives)
1 small cucumber, sliced into half-moons
4 radishes, thinly sliced
4 spring onions, sliced
200 g fine haricots verts (French beans), topped and tailed, blanched 3 minutes and refreshed in ice water (the Parisian addition, omit for the authentic Nice version)
1 small handful fresh basil leaves

Base

1 heart Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated

Vinaigrette

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, finely grated
salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients: olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Taste: it should be sharp, clean and garlicky. Set aside.
Hard-boil the eggs: lower into boiling water, cook exactly 9 minutes, then transfer to ice water for 2 minutes. Peel and halve. A 9-minute egg has a fully set white and a just-set, slightly creamy yolk: the correct texture for a composed salad.
If using haricots verts: blanch in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then plunge into ice water to stop cooking and preserve the vivid green colour. Drain and pat dry.
Arrange the lettuce leaves across a large, wide platter or individual plates. This is a composed salad: everything is arranged, not tossed. Place the tomato wedges in one section, cucumber in another, radishes in another. Add the haricots verts, spring onions.
Add the tuna (broken into large flakes), halved eggs, olives, and anchovy fillets. Scatter the basil leaves over everything.
Dress the entire salad with the vinaigrette: drizzle it across everything. Finish with a little extra salt if needed (the anchovies and olives contribute salt, so taste first). Serve immediately.

Notes

The debate about authenticity is real but the answer is simple: make the authentic raw version in summer when everything is fresh and local; make the cooked-bean version in cooler months when raw vegetables lack flavour. Both are honest.

The Gastrographer

Name: Salade niçoise
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 4 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges; 4 eggs, hard-boiled (9 minutes), peeled and halved; 200 g best-quality canned tuna in olive oil, drained (or 2 fresh tuna steaks, briefly seared and flaked); 8 fillets anchovies in olive oil, drained; 100 g Niçoise olives (or small Kalamata olives); 1 small cucumber, sliced into half-moons; 4 radishes, thinly sliced; 4 spring onions, sliced; 200 g fine haricots verts (French beans), topped and tailed, blanched 3 minutes and refreshed in ice water (the Parisian addition, omit for the authentic Nice version); 1 heart Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated; 1 small handful fresh basil leaves; 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 small clove garlic, finely grated; salt and black pepper to taste

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control