Here, the classic French salad becomes an elegant dinner, with mustard-glazed salmon in place of tuna, roasted vegetables and slightly jammy eggs served over a jumble of salad greens tossed with a red-wine vinaigrette.
Roasting the vegetables, rather than serving some steamed and some raw as you would for a traditional Niçoise, gives this dish great texture and a delicious contrast of temperatures. The vegetables and salmon are roasted on a single sheet pan — fit for company and easy enough for a weeknight.
It’s best to buy 4 uniform fillets of salmon so that they all cook at the same rate. Our piece was thick on one end thinner at the tail, which just meant two of the sections were more done than the other two. You could add the smaller sections to the pan 5 minutes after the others have started to roast if you want them less well-done.
Regarding the comments of several other reviewers, I lessened the amount of olive oil overall, down to about 6 tablespoons, which seemed perfect in the end. And/or you may also choose to double the Dijon-olive oil glaze for the salmon.
Sheet-Pan Roasted Salmon Niçoise Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
- 8* Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. minced garlic (about 1 clove)
- 1 anchovy fillet, minced (optional)
- 6 oz. haricots verts or green beans, trimmed
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup pitted olives, preferably Niçoise or Kalamata
- 4 6-oz. center-cut, skin-on salmon fillets
- 5 oz. tender salad greens, like baby red and green leaf lettuce
Directions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees and place a rack near the top of the oven.
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and toss. Arrange the potatoes on a sheet pan so the cut sides are facing down and roast for 20 minutes. Afterward, if they are completely cooked through and browned on the cut sides, remove to a plate for later.
- While the potatoes roast, fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the eggs and cook over medium heat for exactly 6 minutes. Remove the eggs, and when they are cool enough to handle, peel and quarter them.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, the garlic, anchovy (if using), ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Slowly whisk in 4* (or less) tablespoons of olive oil and set aside.
- Add the haricots verts, tomatoes and olives to the same bowl that the potatoes were in, and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Using tongs, toss well, then move the vegetables to the sides to create space in the center of the sheet pan. Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and place them, skin-side down, in the center of the sheet pan.
- Brush fillets with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast on the top rack in the oven for 10 minutes. Add the cooked potatoes back onto the sheet pan. Turn the broiler to high and broil for 2 to 3 minutes to lightly brown the salmon. (If you don’t have a broiler, roast salmon for an additional 2 to 3 minutes instead.) The salmon should flake easily and be just cooked in the center.
- Add the greens to a large bowl with the dressing, and toss gently. Place the salmon fillets in the middle of the platter, then arrange the roasted vegetables and eggs around them. Sprinkle with salt and serve.
Recipe by Lidey Heuck for NYTimes Cooking
Accounting for Taste 