Salade Nicoise, the classic entree salad that originated in France’s coastal town of Nice, brings together the best of Mediterranean summer — tomatoes, fresh green beans, baby potatoes, capers, olives, hard boiled egg and tuna or anchovies. Fuse this Côte d’Azur standard with California cuisine, and you get a more colorful, zestier, vegetarian version that is hearty enough to constitute a meal yet light enough for hot summer weather.
Radishes, avocado, sweet potatoes and fresh herbs are a few of the California twists that await you, if you’re willing to commit French Cooking Sacrilege (which I always am…).
One of the great things about this salad is you can prepare the components ahead of
time by boiling the green beans and eggs, pan frying the sweet potato, slicing the radish and making the dressing, so that when it comes time to eat, you simply assemble the salad for a simple and impressive feast. If you do it ahead, store the sliced radishes in a bowl of ice water to keep them crisp.
Salad Californiçoise
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet potato, sliced ¼-inch thick
Salt and pepper
1 head red butter lettuce or similar, torn
1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes or Early Girl or Roma
1⁄2 cup thinly sliced radishes
1⁄2 cup pitted briny olives (Nicoise, Kalamata or green)
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 large avocado, sliced
1⁄4 cup drained capers
1⁄4 freshly chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
For the vinaigrette:
1 small shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1⁄4 cup olive oil
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Boil the green beans in salted water for 3 to 4 minutes or until just tender. Drain and transfer to a boil of ice water to quickly cool. Once chilled, drain and refrigerate until ready to assemble the salad.
Make the vinaigrette and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced sweet potato and pan fry for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until tender and lightly browned in places. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool to room temperature.
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When ready to assemble the salad, arrange the lettuce on a large serving platter. Arrange the cooked green beans, sweet potato, tomatoes, radish, olives, egg and avocado over the lettuce in separate little sections. Top with the capers and fresh herbs and drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately.
Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.
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