Diana Lampe's salade nicoise recipe

Salade nicoise is a vibrant composed salad originally from Nice on the French Riviera. It can be served for hors d'oeuvre or as a main course salad with French bread for lunch. I like to arrange the salad on a deep platter in six sections; this looks impressive and makes it easy for people to

There are many opinions as to which ingredients should be in the classic salade nicoise. One school of thought suggests it be made in the spring with only raw vegetables including baby broad beans and artichokes. Salade nicoise generally has hard-boiled eggs, always tomatoes, anchovies and the local small black olives. Potatoes and green beans are in the Larousse Gastronomique (1961) recipe. If you like you can leave out the canned tuna and just use

I like all of these ingredients in salade nicoise and have included them in the recipe today. There are other vegetables that you could use and they are listed at the end. So choose the ingredients you like and make the salad as you wish. The recipe can easily be scaled up or down. Serve it for an alfresco lunch to make the most of our beautiful spring weather. If it turns cold, make a warm salade nicoise instead; see the variation.

I was inspired to make this version of salade nicoise after watching an old Julia Child television episode on YouTube. You may enjoy it too; just Google – Julia Child The French Chef-Salade

Salade nicoise

The salad can be arranged on one large platter or in a wide shallow bowl. It could also be served on six individual plates or dishes. The potatoes, beans and eggs can be cooked and the dressing

Serves 6 for lunch

500g whole kipfler or chat potatoes
1-2 tbsp dry white wine
1 French eschalot or 2 spring onions, finely chopped
500g green beans, topped and tailed
4 free-range eggs, hard-boiled
1 butter lettuce or other soft lettuce, washed and dried
1 roasted red pepper cut into strips (optional)
500g tomatoes
6 artichoke hearts marinated in oil (optional)
2-3 handfuls broad beans, blanched and double peeled (optional)
1 x 185g can tuna in oil, drained
2 tbsp capers, drained
½ cup small black Ligurian olives (not pitted)
12 fillets of anchovies
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley and basil

Dressing

2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
sea salt and black pepper
½ tsp mustard powder or 1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and basil

Make the dressing in a jar. Mix the vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard together first, then whisk in the olive oil and finally add the garlic and herbs. Taste and adjust; it may need a dash more

Place the potatoes in cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender; alternatively they could be steamed. Drain the potatoes and when cool enough to handle, peel the kipflers; there is no need to peel the chats.

Cut the potatoes into thick slices and toss with the white wine and a little salt and pepper while warm. When cool add the eschalot or spring onions and a

Meanwhile bring a fairly large pan of water to a rapid boil for the beans. Salt the water, throw in the beans and cook for four or five minutes. Lift the beans out and refresh in very cold water, then spread on a tea towel to dry. Don't dress them yet as they will discolour.

Prepare all the other ingredients listed for the salad. Cut the eggs into quarters and the tomatoes into quarters or sixths depending on the size. Cut the artichoke hearts into halves or quarters, if

Assemble the salad close to serving time. Have everything ready next to you. Pour a little dressing into a large bowl and toss the lettuce leaves lightly and place them on the serving dish as background. Dress the beans in the same bowl with just enough dressing to coat them and then

Pile the potato salad into the centre of the dish and place the chunks of tuna around it. Scatter the capers over the potatoes and tuna. Now arrange the beans in six bundles radiating from the centre and place the tomatoes and artichokes between.

Nestle in a few broad beans if using. Lay strips

Place the eggs on top and drape the anchovies over them. Drop the olives evenly around the salad. Finally sprinkle the chopped herbs over the salad and pour on the remaining dressing.

Tuck some basil leaves and parsley sprigs in amongst the salad if you like. Take to the table and serve with chilled white wine and a French baguette.

Variations

Other ingredients that can be included are cucumber, celery, raw green or red peppers, radishes, red onion, rocket, nasturtium flowers, cannellini beans, caper berries, chervil and tarragon rather than the basil. Grilled or poached tuna or salmon can be used instead of canned tuna.

To make a warm salad, forget the lettuce and just before serving cook the potatoes, beans, eggs and tuna or salmon. Arrange the vegetables and fish on warm dinner plates with the olives and sprinkle on the herbs. Heat the dressing with the capers and finely chopped anchovies and pour

Diana Lampe is a Canberra writer, dlampe@bigpond.net.au