Salade Niçoise with Seared Tuna and Soft Egg
The classic Southern French composed salad of seared tuna, soft-boiled eggs, potatoes, green beans, and Niçoise olives.
A proper salade niçoise is really more of an arrangement than a tossed salad — seared tuna, soft-boiled eggs, boiled baby potatoes, and blanched green beans are all laid out around a platter with cherry tomatoes and briny Niçoise olives, then finished with a simple Dijon vinaigrette.
Searing the tuna just until the center stays rosy keeps it tender rather than dry, and a soft-boiled egg with a still-jammy yolk does double duty as both protein and part of the dressing once it breaks open on the plate.
Between the tuna, eggs, and potatoes, this composed salad brings a genuinely high amount of protein to the table for a dish that still reads as light, and the mix of vegetables keeps the fiber count respectable too. It's a satisfying lunch on its own, no bread required, and every element can be prepped ahead and assembled just before serving.
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh tuna steaks
- 4 tbsp olive oil — divided
- 1 lb baby potatoes — halved and boiled
- 8 oz green beans — trimmed and blanched
- 4 eggs — soft-boiled
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes — halved
- 1/3 cup Niçoise olives
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic — minced
- 2 tbsp fresh basil — torn
These ingredients are standard at most major European supermarkets.
Instructions
- 1Boil potatoes in salted water until fork-tender, about 12-15 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
- 2Blanch green beans in boiling water 2-3 minutes, then plunge into ice water and drain.
- 3Soft-boil eggs for 6-7 minutes, then cool in ice water, peel, and halve.
- 4Whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and garlic for the dressing.
- 5Season tuna with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over high heat and sear tuna 1-2 minutes per side, keeping the center rosy. Slice.
- 6Arrange potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, olives, tuna, and eggs on a platter.
- 7Drizzle with dressing and finish with torn basil.