Salad Nicoise
Great year-round salads are often hard to find if you are focused on sourcing local ingredients — pickings are slim in winter and early spring. I love this salad because it is flexible throughout the year. When I can use fresh tuna, just seared and thinly sliced, with heirloom tomatoes and garden greens, great. In winter, canned tuna is usually in the pantry, and I use wonderful greenhouse hydroponic lettuces, tomatoes, and wintered fingerling potatoes. And of course, eggs are always fresh and available year-round. This salad makes a wonderful meal with some very good bread and a crisp white wine.
For the salad:
It is best served on a large platter and shared “family style” with everybody helping themselves. Simply lay the greens on the platter and build the salad up from there, garnishing with slices of potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, artichokes, olives and crumbled tuna. Fresh basil leaves and a generous bath of vinaigrette is all you need for this simple rustic salad.
Serves 6
For the vinaigrette:
Smash anchovy fillets in a bowl with a fork and add shallot and garlic. Add mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream until vinaigrette is smooth and emulsified. For a larger salad simply double ingredients. Leftover dressing will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
Yields 3⁄4 cup (180 mL)
Ingredients
Directions
For the salad:
It is best served on a large platter and shared “family style” with everybody helping themselves. Simply lay the greens on the platter and build the salad up from there, garnishing with slices of potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, artichokes, olives and crumbled tuna. Fresh basil leaves and a generous bath of vinaigrette is all you need for this simple rustic salad.
Serves 6
For the vinaigrette:
Smash anchovy fillets in a bowl with a fork and add shallot and garlic. Add mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream until vinaigrette is smooth and emulsified. For a larger salad simply double ingredients. Leftover dressing will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
Yields 3⁄4 cup (180 mL)