Of all salads, Salad Nicoise is my favorite! If it is on the menu, I inevitably order it! It has the perfect combination of foods - lettuce, tomato, green beans, hard cooked eggs, potatoes, black olives, capers, and tuna fish.

Pour on your favorite vinaigrette dressing, and the meal is complete.

Step 1 - Cook the eggs

Check out my 30-second Tips and Techniques Video on How to Boil an Egg for a sure fire way to make this step a breeze! You can do this step well in advance, as hard cooked, unpeeled eggs will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

Step 2 - Cook the potatoes

Carefully drop some small potatoes (see below) into boiling water, adding some salt. Return the water to a boil and set the timer for about 12 (to 15) minutes. Before you remove them from the pan, stick a fork in them to make sure they are tender.

Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces.

Step # 3 Blanch the green beans

“Blanching” means that you drop the green beans into a pot of boiling, salted water and let them cook for about 2 minutes. Remove them with a pair of tongs and immediately plunge them into a bowl of water with ice.

The ice water will stop the cooking process and keep them a nice bright green.

Now we just need to assemble it all. Be sure to wash the lettuce! Spread the lettuce out on a plate.

Add the rest of the ingredients in clumps. It has a lot more “eye appeal” that way!

I splurged and bought imported tuna from a jar. It was expensive ($7) but worth every bite.

In the photo above, those are capers shown with the tuna fish. Capers are packed in brine and should be rinsed before you add them to the salad. They have a unique, almost peppery, taste that works really well in combination with all the other flavors of this salad.

Once everything is added, serve this wonderful salad with your favorite vinaigrette dressing.

Oops! I almost forgot the black olives!

Enjoy!

You can view and print this recipe here.

If you are new to startcooking, or are a regular visitor here, please consider subscribing for free.