Salade Niçoise - A savory and sumptuous summer salad!

This past weekend, I decided to make a Salade Niçoise (a popular culinary specialty of Nice, France) with tuna steak. I've always equated this simple yet hearty and delicious salad with warmer temps and fond memories. As a young girl, my lovely French mother used to make it for Sunday family dinners and as I grew older, it became a meal shared among  friends during my summers in the South of France. So, when it hit 80 + degrees yesterday, I headed to Whole Foods Market and picked up the below ingredients and started cooking.

Ingredients

(1 Serving) 1 hard boiled egg 1 sliced ripe red tomato 1 red potato 1 small onion 15 - 20 green beans 1 fresh slice of tuna steak Vinaigrette

OptionalAnchovies

Directions

Salade Niçoise

• Boil the green beans for 10-15 minutes in lightly salted water (10 minutes if you want them to be more al dente).
• Boil the potato for 15 - 20 minutes or until you can poke it through easily with a fork.
• Boil the egg for 10 minutes and then transfer the hard boiled egg in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Then slice finely.
• Cut up the onion into small fine slices.
• Cut up the tomato into thin slices and lightly salt to make the juices come out.
• Rub the tuna steak with olive oil on both sides, then rub a little vinaigrette on each side and season with a little salt and pepper. In a hot pan cook for 1 minute on each side. A little less if you want it seared. Cut horizontally into 5 thin-medium slices.

Plated Salade Niçoise

Cecile's Vinaigrette In a bowl, whisk the below ingredients together.

2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tablespoon of Champagne Wine Vinegar 1/2 teaspoon of Maille mustard Salt and Pepper to taste and decorate

Plate It

Assemble the green beans and then top with the sliced potato, tomato, egg and onion. Sprinkle the black olives. Place the sliced tuna on top (and anchovies, if you'd like) and then pour the vinaigrette over all ... et voilà! 

Salade Niçoise with a glass of Miraval Rosé

To complete this meal, I decided to pair it with a glass of the 2013 Château Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé.  I have to be honest, I am always hesitant with celebrity wines, but I was more than pleasantly surprised. Made in partnership with the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel under the Jolie-Pitt & Perrin brand, this rosé has a lovely floral nose with a delicate structure that deepens on the palate. It complemented this dish wonderfully.

Hope you enjoy this recipe and if you try it, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Bon Appétit!