Featured Recipe
Rustic Niçoise Salad
By Kate
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A reworked Niçoise salad with altered ingredient weights, a couple swapped veggies, and a zesty lemon twist. Rooted in classic French technique but tuned for practicality and texture. Balances tender fingerling potatoes, crisp blanched greens, and a robust vinaigrette brightened with anchovy and fresh lemon juice. Eggs steamed in a basket over simmering water, preserving moisture and ease. Tuna replaced with lightly smoked mackerel for smoke depth and heartiness. Green beans swapped to asparagus tips, offering tender snaps. Visual cues guide doneness, avoiding rubbery or mushy pitfalls. Olives kept briny; cucumber antenna sliced paper-thin for freshness. Layers of flavors deliberate but not fussy, built on straightforward execution.
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Prep:
25 min
Cook:
20 min
Total:
45 min
Serves:
4 servings
salad
French cuisine
lunch
healthy eating
Introduction
Start mid-thought — fresh, clean ingredients waiting. Patience matters, more than timers. Fingerlings prized for thin skins and tender flesh, split and simmering gently, giving close watch for doneness. Tough skins or chalky cores? Scrap. Swap green beans for asparagus tips — tender, yet with bite. Eggs steamed in basket, not submerged, locking in moisture; cracks less likely. Mackerel replaces tuna; smoked richness over plain water-packed fish, grounding the salad. Olives remain briny anchors; cucumber replaced with zucchini for slight earthiness and textural change. Red onion quick-pickled, bright sharpness cutting richness, all held together with anchovy vinaigrette plus a splash of fresh lemon juice — punchy, bright, layered. Salad built in layers, visually inviting and texturally vibrant. Understanding visuals and feel trumps rigid clocks — faint snap, slight give, just tender. Simple ingredients, complex results when handled right.
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 80 ml olive oil
- 50 ml red wine vinegar
- 4 anchovy fillets finely chopped
- 15 ml fresh lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper
- 350 g fingerling potatoes peeled and halved lengthwise
- 300 g asparagus tips trimmed
- 4 large eggs
- 100 ml cold water
- 25 ml red wine vinegar
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- 1 small iceberg lettuce separated into leaves
- 1 small yellow bell pepper deseeded and very thinly sliced
- 1 medium zucchini cut into thin rounds
- 300 g cherry tomatoes quartered
- 2 cans 170 g smoked mackerel drained and flaked
- 60 g kalamata olives pitted
Salad
About the ingredients
Notes on swapping ingredients. Fingerling potatoes preferred for balance of waxy flesh and thin skin; Yukon gold a good sub if needed. Asparagus tips gently replace green beans; cook slightly longer if thicker stalks used. Mackerel smoked or fresh packed in oil; oily fish adds depth not present with canned tuna alone. Yellow peppers swapped in for red to add color variance and milder sweetness. Zucchini thinly sliced serves as crunchy fresh component instead of cucumber; peeled or peeled if winter squash used. Anchovies in dressing add salt complexity, but not overpowering if finely minced; omit for anchovy allergy, substitute with capers. For olives, kalamatas preferred but black niçoise olives acceptable; rinse if too salty. Lemon juice added to vinaigrette for brightness and to offset smoky fish. If no steamer, eggs can be gently boiled but watch cracking. Quick onion soak reduces raw harshness but keeps crunch. Use quality olive oil for dressing to avoid bitterness.
Method
Vinaigrette
- 1. Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, anchovies, lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper; whisk vigorously. The anchovies should practically dissolve, leaving umami layers. Set aside; vinaigrette develops flavor while salad cooks.
- 2. Place fingerling potatoes in a pot; cover with cold, salted water. Bring to gentle boil. Watch: when bubbles reach steady simmer and potatoes start bobbing, count 15 minutes. Test by piercing with a paring knife; poke gently before sticking all the way to avoid mush.
- 3. Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of salted water to boil. Blanch asparagus tips for about 3 minutes. Look for bright green color and slight tender snap; shock immediately in ice water to stop cooking and preserve vivid color. Drain thoroughly.
- 4. Use a steamer basket over the boiling water used for asparagus to cook eggs for about 10 minutes. Steam retains egg moisture better than boiling. Dunk eggs into cold water bath immediately after, to halt carryover cooking and prevent grey yolks. Peel carefully; older eggs peel easier but fresh enough to be flavorful.
- 5. Soak sliced red onion in cold water mixed with red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt for 3 minutes. This tames sharpness while adding brightness. Drain and pat dry well so salad doesn’t become soggy.
- 6. Drain potatoes and spread on a large plate or cutting board to cool. Slice thicker halves in half crosswise for bite-size pieces. Combine lettuce leaves in salad bowls or platters, arrange asparagus, zucchini rounds, yellow pepper, tomatoes, potatoes, and pickled onion attractively.
- 7. Cut peeled eggs in halves or quarters; position atop vegetables. Scatter flaked smoked mackerel and kalamata olives over salad. The fish adds smoky weight contrasting fresh vegetables. Finish by drizzling all with prepared vinaigrette, gently tossing just before eating to keep ingredients fresh.
- 8. Taste test for acidity balance; adjust with lemon juice or vinegar if needed. Serve immediately. If storing, keep dressing separate until last minute.
Salad
Technique Tips
Technique focus. Cooking potatoes on gentle simmer avoids breaking skins open; test with gentle prod for tenderness. Overcooked potatoes become grainy; undercooked raw center ruins texture and mouthfeel. Blanch asparagus snap judged visually by bright emerald green and tactilely with fork or bite. Ice bath mandatory to lock color and halt cooking. Steaming eggs in basket reduces water agitation and cracking; water level should not touch eggs. Cooling eggs in icy water prevents chalky yolk discoloration from overcooking. Onion soak time depends on thickness; too long, onion becomes limp. Dressing whisk to emulsify oil and vinegar; anchovies should melt to blend instead of solid bits. Assemble salad components so textures and colors contrast — avoids flattening. Dress salad just before serving to keep crispness. Adjust dressing acidity on finish; personal taste varies widely. Serve immediately, though components can be prepped ahead, stored separately for freshness.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Watch potatoes closely. Bubbles bubbling gently, edges softly rounded. Test with a knife, gentle prod. Cook too long, grainy texture. Switch fingerlings if needed, Yukon golds will suffice.
- 💡 Blanch asparagus in boiling salted water; bright emerald green's the cue. About 3 minutes. Ice bath time – locks color. Shock them to stop cooking cold.
- 💡 Steam eggs for that moist texture. Not in boiling water; cracks can happen. Basket over simmer, careful placement. Once done, cold water bath halts carryover cooking.
- 💡 Slice onions thin, soak in vinegar mix for 3 minutes. Tames sharpness. Too long makes them limp. Always drain and pat dry to keep salad crisp.
- 💡 Assemble with layers in mind. Textures contrasting brighten the plate. Keep vinaigrette separate. Last-minute drizzle keeps components fresh. Adjust acidity as needed, go for balance.
