Classic Nicoise with a few extras
Classic Nicoise with a few extras
Julie Biuso's Nicoise Salad with a few extras Photo: Aaron McLean
Serves 4
I’ve always been a sucker for a good Nicoise-style salad and I’m happy to keep things flexible – sometimes I add potatoes and fresh beans. Other times I use canned white beans. I like it with canned tuna just as much as I do with fresh tuna, although I’m finicky about both: canned tuna must be in olive oil, and fresh tuna must be spanking fresh. I nearly always include eggs (I kept chickens for years and loved the fresh eggs). Olives, tomatoes, cos and a garlicky dressing are the constants, the other ingredients depend on what I have to hand. In this version I’ve added grated parmesan cheese to the dressing which gives it an umami-bite and a lovely creaminess.
150g slim green beans, trimmed
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
Finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 French loaf, sliced thickly on the diagonal
1 cos lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite-sized leaves
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup kalamata olives, stoned
20 basil leaves, shredded
4 medium (size 6) free-range eggs, hard-boiled, shelled and halved
200g canned tuna in oil
1. Plunge beans into a saucepan of salted boiling water and cook for several minutes, or until they just loose their snap. Drain and refresh with cold water, then pat dry with paper towels.
2. Mix mustard, lemon zest and juice, 1 crushed clove of garlic, extra virgin olive oil and ¼ tsp salt together, then whisk in the parmesan cheese.
3. Toast sliced French bread either over a barbecue grill or in a toaster. Rub a cut clove of garlic over the surface of the toasted slices of bread on one side only, put them on a serving platter and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
4. Put lettuce, cherry tomatoes, olives and basil in a large bowl and toss gently with most of the dressing. Tumble onto the garlic toasts. Add halved eggs and tuna to bowl and spoon over remaining dressing. Gently transfer to platter of salad, scraping in all the dressing. Serve immediately.
Change it up and use fresh tuna instead of canned.
Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl with a good grinding of black pepper, add add 400g spanking fresh tuna loin, and turn it to coat in the oil. Heat a small but heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add a splash of oil, and when it is hot, turn the tuna loin in the peppery oil and transfer to the frying pan. Do not move it: where it lands is where it stays, or you will tear the fibres. Leave it to cook for about a minute (literally,1-1½ minutes), turn carefully with tongs and cook for a further minute. Some pieces of tuna may have a third side, if so, sear that, too; but importantly, do not overcook it. Transfer tuna to a board, season with sea salt and let it rest for 10 minutes. Using a sharp thin-bladed knife, slice into medium-thick rounds. Place it on top of the salad.
