This Tuna Niçoise Salad elevates a humble can of tuna into an elegant, fancy, and bright-tasting salad. The salad greens are topped with a myriad of veggies and potatoes, olive-oil-packed tuna, and the best light lemon vinaigrette to tie everything together beautifully.
COMBINE: In a wide-mouth jar, combine all the dressing ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper; I add 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Shake well to combine and emulsify. (Don't have a jar? Briskly whisk in a bowl instead!) Check to make sure honey isn't sticking to the bottom -- whisk it into the mixture if it is. Taste and adjust the dressing to personal preference.
POTATOES AND BEANS: Add whole baby potatoes to a pot. Add enough water to cover them by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, salt the water, and cook until potatoes are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork (about 15-20 minutes, depending on size). Meanwhile, trim green beans and cut in half. Use a slotted spoon to remove potatoes while keeping the water boiling. Add in green beans and boil until crisp tender (to your liking), about 2-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water until cooled. Cut cooled potatoes in half or quarters.
ASSEMBLY: Coarsely chop Romaine lettuce and add to a large bowl (or platter). Toss with some of the dressing. Then, add all the other ingredients onto the lettuce, arranging decoratively. Drizzle with remaining dressing (or as much as you'd like), gently toss, and serve immediately. (Note 4)
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Notes
Note 1: Romaine: Chop, wash, and thoroughly dry the Romaine lettuce before tossing it with the dressing. (We love using a salad spinner!) If the lettuce is at all wet from being washed, it will water down the dressing and the salad won't be as pleasant. If time permits, chill the washed (and dried) lettuce and salad dressing and keep refrigerated until you're ready to assemble.Note 2: Hard-boiled eggs: While making hard-boiled eggs is easy, it can be time-consuming. A lot of stores sell eggs that have been hard-boiled for your convenience. Otherwise, here's my favorite way to hard boil eggs: Add 1 inch of hot water to a large pot. Add a steamer insert inside and cover the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the eggs to the steamer basket and cover. Cook for 13 minutes. Meanwhile, fill up a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes (about 12-15). After eggs have steamed, drain and add them directly into ice water and let them cool for a full 15 minutes before peeling. Once they've fully cooled, gently tap the hard-boiled eggs all over to crack the shell. Then remove the shell under running cool water. Start at the wider end -- there is usually an air pocket there which will make the shell easier to remove.Note 3: Tuna: This recipe uses two (5-ounce) cans.) Choose canned tuna packed in olive oil if you can -- it is richer and has a fresher flavor. Albacore is the lightest of the tuna meats, so it doesn’t have a fishy flavor. My personal favorite is Genova’s® albacore tuna. Note 4:Storage: This salad doesn’t sit very well with the dressing -- it wilts the veggies quickly. Additionally, everything will taste a bit fishy (and like olives) after sitting for an extended period of time. If you aren’t planning to eat the entire salad in one sitting, toss and add dressing, tuna, and olives to the amount you’ll be eating at this time.