Here is a riff on a classic French salade niçoise. Traditionalists drape anchovy filets across the finished salad, but here, they’re minced and used only in the dressing. Anchovy admirers can certainly add more for garnish — and anchovy avoiders can simply leave them out.
The only cooking is boiling the potatoes and haricots verts, which can be done together in the same pot. Add a jammy egg or two if you like. Dressing the vegetables while warm helps them absorb all the good flavors more deeply, making this a salad that manages to be intense and light at the same time.
Niçoise Salad with Basil and Anchovy-Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 2 anchovy fillets, chopped
- ¼ tsp. salt, more as needed
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- ¾ tsp. grated lemon zest
- ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup olive oil, more as needed
- ¼ lb. baby red potatoes
- ½ lb. haricots verts or green beans
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped basil
- 8 radishes, cut into wedges, or 1 slender cucumber, peeled and sliced
- 2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges, or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 (6 or 7-oz.) cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
- Black pepper, for serving
- Flaky sea salt, for serving
- Torn basil leaves, for serving
Directions
- Make the vinaigrette: Using the flat side of a knife, smash garlic clove, anchovy fillets and salt into a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in lemon juice, zest and mustard. Using a whisk, slowly pour in olive oil while stirring constantly. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Place potatoes in a medium pot and cover them with 2 or 3 inches of cold water. Salt the water and bring to a boil. When water comes to a boil, continue cooking potatoes until fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes more. Add haricots verts during the last 1 minute of cooking (if using regular green beans, add them during the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking depending on how thin they are). Drain vegetables and let sit until cool enough to handle but still quite warm. Halve potatoes, transfer to a small bowl along with the haricots verts and dress everything to coat with some (but not all) of the vinaigrette. When completely cool, toss in chopped basil.
- On a large platter or four individual plates, arrange potatoes and haricots verts, radishes or cucumbers, tomatoes and tuna, and hard-boiled eggs, if using. Scatter olives over the top and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Serve garnished with black pepper, flaky sea salt and torn basil leaves.
Original recipe from Melissa Clark for NYTimes Cooking
