Can Tuna Salad Niçoise be made ahead?

Yes, each ingredient can be prepped up to 24 hours ahead, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature and assemble shortly before serving.

Is Tuna Niçoise Salad gluten-free?

Yes, this recipe is naturally gluten-free as long as your mustard and vinegar are certified gluten-free (most are, but it’s always good to double-check labels).

What’s in this Tuna Salad Niçoise?

This salad includes canned tuna packed in oil, steamed new potatoes, crispy green beans, sunny hard boiled eggs, vibrant tomatoes, briny Niçoise olives and tangy capers , all arranged atop crisp salad greens. Each component is lightly tossed with a bright Lemon-Tarragon dressing ,

What’s the difference between Niçoise and Cobb salad?

Both are composed salads, but Cobb salad is American and typically includes chicken, bacon, avocado, and blue cheese, while Niçoise features tuna, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, olives, and a vinaigrette salad dressing. They’re also arranged differently: in a Niçoise salad, the tuna is placed in the center with the other ingredients arranged around it. In a Cobb salad, the ingredients are traditionally lined up in neat rows across the plate.

Tuna Salad Nicoise Recipe | A Well-Seasoned Kitchen®

Ingredients

Scale

Lemon-Tarragon Vinaigrette

7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons tarragon white wine vinegar – see Note below
1 heaping teaspoon lemon zest, or more to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 to 2 pinches kosher or sea salt

Tuna Salad Niçoise

10 small (petite) red-skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes (around 3/4 pound) cut into quarters
1 pound green beans, ends removed (“trimmed”) and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 (5-ounce) cans good quality canned tuna (I recommend albacore, sustainably caught, and oil-packed) drained
6 cups torn salad greens such as Bibb, Boston, or Butter lettuce
Kosher or sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
2 cups (around 4 medium – tennis ball size) cored, seeded, sliced or coarsely chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup Niçoise or Kalamata black olives, pitted and cut in half
1/3 cup capers, drained

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Instructions

Lemon-Tarragon Vinaigrette

In a small mixing bowl or lidded jar, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, zest, tarragon, nutmeg and salt.
Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Tuna Salad Niçoise

Steam potatoes just until fork tender. Set aside to cool.
Steam green beans just until crisp-tender. Immediately plunge the cooked beans into ice water to keep their bright green color. Drain again and pat dry with paper towel.
In separate bowls for each ingredient, toss potatoes, green beans, tuna, and greens each with 1 to 2 tablespoons dressing. Season each to taste with salt and pepper.

Assembly

Spread greens evenly on 6 individual plates.
Place a mound of the tuna in the middle.
Surround with the potatoes, green beans, eggs, tomatoes, and olives.
Sprinkle capers over the top.
Pass additional dressing on the side.

Notes

Tarragon white wine vinegar: Can substitute white wine vinegar and increase the chopped tarragon by a pinch or two.

Make ahead: Lemon-Tarragon Dressing, potatoes, green beans and hard boiled eggs can all be prepared, covered separately and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead.

Variation in presentation – Cobb salad style: Arrange ingredients in rows on top of lettuce greens.

Variation in presentation – salad bar style: Put each ingredient in a separate bowl and arrange in the following order: mixed greens (in a large bowl), tuna, potatoes, green beans, eggs, tomatoes, olives, capers and remaining dressing.

Author: From "Fresh Tastes" by Lee Clayton Roper
Category: main dish salads
Method: steam
Cuisine: French

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 plate
Calories: 607
Sugar: 7.8 g
Sodium: 552.2 mg
Fat: 29.1 g
Saturated Fat: 5.1 g
Carbohydrates: 55.4 g
Fiber: 8.9 g
Protein: 34.8 g
Cholesterol: 120.6 mg