Mediterranean Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Salade Niçoise
A French composed salad of tuna, hard-boiled eggs, green beans, and baby potatoes over lettuce, dressed with a Dijon vinaigrette.
Contains common allergens
In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.
Good to know
- Ready in under 30 minutes
Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: 30-minute meals
Instructions
6 steps- 1
Place the baby potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Drain and let cool.
- 2
Bring a separate saucepan of salted water to a boil. Blanch the green beans for 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender. Immediately plunge them into an ice water bath to stop the cooking and preserve their bright green color. Drain well.
- 3
In a small jar, combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced shallot, salt, and pepper. Shake vigorously to emulsify the vinaigrette.
- 4
Line a large, wide serving platter with the lettuce leaves.
- 5
Arrange the potatoes, blanched green beans, halved cherry tomatoes, halved hard-boiled eggs, and olives in separate, neat sections over the lettuce.
- 6
Flake the drained tuna into large chunks and place it in the center of the platter. Drizzle the vinaigrette evenly over the entire salad just before serving.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
62/100
Works for many families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving4165
Calories
19 g
Protein
36 g
Carbs
446 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Salade Nicoise hails from the city of Nice on the French Riviera, where it began as a simple plate of raw summer vegetables, anchovies, and olive oil. The version most people know, with tuna, green beans, potatoes, and egg, is a later composed-salad evolution that purists in Nice still debate. At its heart it is a celebration of the sunny produce and preserved fish of the Provencal coast, arranged rather than tossed.
Listahan note
This version arranges each component in its own section rather than tossing it all together, so the textures stay distinct and the plate looks as composed as the original intends.
Technique cues
- Cook the green beans until just crisp-tender and shock them in ice water, which locks in their bright color and snap against the soft potatoes and egg.
- Dress each component lightly and separately rather than tossing the whole salad, so nothing goes soggy and every element keeps its own character.
- Boil the eggs to a just-set, creamy yolk and the potatoes until tender but not falling apart, since both anchor the plate.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- Boil the potatoes and eggs in the same pot while you blanch the beans and whisk the vinaigrette, batching all the cooking at once.
- Make-ahead
- Cook the potatoes, beans, and eggs a day ahead and store separately, then arrange the plate fresh at mealtime.
- Leftover move
- Fold leftover components into a baguette with extra vinaigrette for a pan-bagnat-style sandwich the next day.
- Cleanup rhythm
- Use one pot in stages for potatoes, eggs, and beans, leaving just that pot and a few bowls to wash.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
Tuna
the protein centerpiece
Purpose: Good oil-packed or fresh-seared tuna gives the salad its savory richness and ties it to the coastal origin.
Handling: Drain oil-packed tuna gently or sear and slice fresh tuna rare.
Adaptation: Oil-packed sardines or seared salmon make a similar rich, briny center.
Green beans
crisp green element
Purpose: Blanched green beans add a fresh snap and color that balance the richer potatoes, egg, and fish.
Handling: Trim, blanch until crisp-tender, and shock in ice water to set the color.
Adaptation: Blanched asparagus or sugar snap peas give the same fresh crunch.
New potatoes
the hearty base
Purpose: Tender boiled potatoes make the salad a full meal and soak up the vinaigrette beautifully.
Handling: Boil whole until just tender, then halve and dress while warm.
Adaptation: Fingerling potatoes or even cooked white beans add the same heft.
Eggs
richness and protein
Purpose: Jammy or just-set eggs add creamy richness and a classic visual element to the composed plate.
Handling: Boil to your preferred doneness, peel, and halve just before plating.
Adaptation: There is no real substitute; the egg is iconic to the salad.
Nicoise olives
briny accent
Purpose: Small, intense Nicoise olives are the namesake touch, scattering salty, fruity bursts across the plate.
Handling: Leave whole and scatter over the arranged salad.
Adaptation: Kalamata olives are larger but give a similar briny note.
Anchovies
umami depth
Purpose: Anchovies bring the deep savory backbone that defines the original Nicoise before tuna became common.
Handling: Drape a few fillets over the top or mash some into the vinaigrette.
Adaptation: A dash of fish sauce or extra olives covers for anchovies if you prefer to skip them.
Technique notes
- Arrange the components in neat rows or sections on a platter so each guest can see and choose what they take.
- Dress the warm potatoes first so they absorb the vinaigrette, then build the rest around them.
- Use a sharp Dijon-forward vinaigrette, since the assertive dressing is what unifies the separate elements.
Ingredient swaps
- Fish-free direction
- Skip the tuna and anchovies and add extra eggs, white beans, and olives for a vegetarian composed plate.
- Lower-sodium direction
- Rinse the olives, skip the anchovies, and use a no-salt-added tuna to keep the salt in check.
- Heartier direction
- Add a bed of butter lettuce and extra potatoes to stretch it into a fuller main-course salad.
Serve alongside
- Crusty baguette with butter
- Chilled gazpacho
- Marinated artichoke hearts
- Dry Provencal rose
- Sparkling water with lemon
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Store the components separately in the fridge for up to two days, since a dressed assembled salad turns soggy quickly.
- It is served cold or at room temperature with no reheating; freezing is not suitable for any of the elements.
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Large platter for arranging
- Whisk for the vinaigrette
- Slotted spoon
Make this household-aware
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Plan it in Listahan
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