This simple Nicoise salad can be served artfully composed or quickly tossed. Either way, it's flavorful, satiating, and gorgeous!
Main-course salads (like Cobb salad or taco salad) are incredible, and not just in the summer. I enjoy their freshness and flavor throughout the year. Nicoise salad has this amazing flavor and texture combination - crisp lettuce and green beans, briny olives, juicy tomatoes, creamy boiled eggs, and oil-canned tuna that adds substance and flavor. The vinaigrette adds brightness, acidity, and umami flavor, whether you use anchovies or Worcestershire sauce.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Mixed greens: I use bagged mixed greens. It's fine to chop your own, but please use a salad spinner to wash and thoroughly dry the greens.
- Dressing: I use this simple vinaigrette. Store-bought is fine if you're Ok with the ingredients.
- Green beans: very lightly boiled. You can follow this recipe for boiled green beans. You can also use haricot verts.
- Olives: I use Kalamata olives, since they are easier to find than the traditionally used Nicoise olives.
- Tuna: While American restaurants often serve this salad with seared tuna, the classic French salad is made with oil-packed canned tuna.
Variations
Salmon Nicoise
My favorite way to vary this recipe is to use salmon instead of tuna. Its rich flavor and meaty texture go well with this salad. I typically use grilled salmon, as shown in the photo below, but other delicious options include baked salmon, poached salmon, and blackened salmon.
Use What You Have!
While the classic formula for this salad is widely used, don't be afraid to make it your own with what you have! In the photo below, you can see an improvised version I served the other night with salad greens, tuna with espelette peppers (delicious!), hard-boiled eggs, and avocado. It was so good!
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Arrange the mixed greens on a large serving platter and drizzle them with half the vinaigrette.
Arrange the remaining ingredients on top of the mixed greens. Drizzle them with the remaining vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
As an alternative, add all the ingredients to a large salad bowl and make a mixed salad. It's not as pretty, but it's arguably more delicious because the dressing coats the ingredients more efficiently.
Recipe Tips
Use the Best Tuna
This salad will be as good as the tuna you use, so it's imperative to choose the highest-quality tuna. The jar shown in the photo below is the product I like to use. The large chunks of firm-fleshed albacore tuna (white tuna) are kept in olive oil.
This tuna has a mild flavor with almost no fishiness. It's very different from skipjack tuna in water, which won't work in this recipe, but works amazingly well in tuna patties or mayonnaise-based tuna salad. However, please keep in mind the FDA's advice about eating fish.
A Lazy Nicoise is Delicious, Too!
I adore Nicoise salad, but I don't always have the patience - or all the ingredients - needed to make it. See the photo above? That's a recent lunch I made, inspired by the classic recipe but with shortcuts. It had mixed greens, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs that I already had in the fridge, tuna, and ranch dressing from a bottle. It was quick and delicious! I did insist on high-quality tuna. That's non-negotiable. 🙂
Recipe FAQs
You certainly could! The traditional Nicoise salad does not contain potatoes - those were a later addition. Having said that, please feel free to add half a pound of boiled baby red potatoes, halved. I don't add them because I prefer to keep the salad relatively low in carbs.
You can use medium-boiled eggs with jammy yolks. Soft-boiled eggs are less suitable for this salad, although you can use them if you don't mind the yolks oozing out.
Yes! While the traditional dressing for this salad is a simple vinaigrette, feel free to make it your own by using your favorite salad dressing. In fact, as shown in the image below, I often use blue cheese dressing, which is decidedly nontraditional, but I love it so much that I don't care!
You can prepare the separate components a day ahead. I often do. I wash and slice the tomatoes, lightly boil the green beans, boil the eggs, and prepare the dressing. Each component goes into an airtight container and is kept in the fridge.
The next day, assembling the salad is easy! The dressing will separate, but you can shake it to re-emulsify, as shown in the photo below.
Be sure to assemble the salad and dress it shortly before serving, to prevent the lettuce from being soggy. For the same reason, you can store the leftovers except for the lettuce. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. 
Serving Suggestions
Since this is a main-course salad with lots of goodies and a good amount of calories, you don't really need to serve it with anything on the side. I usually mix it and divide it between plates, as shown in the image below.
If you'd like something on the side, you can add bread. Low-carb options include almond flour bread and savory cheese muffins. Both pair well with this salad.
Recipe Card
Nicoise Salad (Composed or Tossed)
Video
Ingredients
- 5 ounces mixed greens - 5 cups
- ½ cup classic vinaigrette - 8 tablespoons
- 1 pound boiled green beans - halved, cooled
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - halved
- ¼ cup pitted olives
- 4 hard-boiled eggs - halved
- 8 ounces oil-packed canned tuna - drained and flaked
Instructions
- Arrange the mixed greens on a large serving platter. Drizzle them with 4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette.5 ounces mixed greens, ½ cup classic vinaigrette
- Arrange the green beans, tomatoes, olives, hard-boiled eggs, and tuna on top of the mixed greens. Drizzle them with the remaining 4 tablespoons of vinaigrette. Serve immediately.1 pound boiled green beans, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup pitted olives, 4 hard-boiled eggs, 8 ounces oil-packed canned tuna
- You can also add all the ingredients to a large salad bowl and make a mixed salad. It's not as pretty, but it's arguably more delicious because the dressing coats the ingredients more efficiently when mixed into them.
Notes
- Seasonings, especially salt, are guidelines - adjust to taste.
- My version contains no potatoes. I do this because I'm on a low-carb diet, but one should note that the traditional Nicoise salad does not contain potatoes - those were a later addition.
- This salad will be as good as the tuna you use, so it's imperative to use tuna of the highest quality. The jar shown in the photo below is the product I like to use. The tuna is kept in high-quality olive oil, and it comes in large chunks. It's very different from tuna canned in water.
- Make-ahead and storage: You can prepare the separate components a day ahead. I often do. I wash and slice the tomatoes, lightly boil the green beans, boil the eggs, and prepare the dressing. Each component goes into an airtight container and is kept in the fridge. The next day, assembling the salad is easy! The dressing will separate, but you can shake it to re-emulsify. Be sure to assemble the salad and dress it shortly before serving, to prevent the lettuce from being soggy. For the same reason, you can store the leftovers except for the lettuce. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Nutrition per Serving
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate - please verify it. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
