Salade Nicoise is a great option when you're faced with a ton of veggies and just a few cans of tuna in the pantry. The vegetables listed below are traditional but small boiled new potatoes, tender boston or romaine lettuce leaves and sliced red bell peppers can also be added to the mix. This recipe serves four, but can be easily halved for two.
Dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Salad:
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives
1 can anchovy fillets (entirely optional!)
2 cans albacore tuna, drained and broken into chunks
2 hardboiled eggs, sliced
Make the dressing first: In a jar combine olive oil, vinegar and seasonings and shake well. Set aside.
Cook the green beans whole in a small amount of boiling, salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain them well and turn them into a shallow dish. Add 1/2 cup of the dressing and toss until the beans are well-coated. Refrigerate beans, covered, until well-chilled, at least 2 hours. At this point you can also refrigerate the remaining salad dressing and ingredients.
To serve, turn the marinated beans into a salad bowl. Add all but a few onion slices, tomato wedges, olives and toss gently. Then add the tuna chunks, anchovies, if desired, and egg slices and toss again. Garnish the salad with the reserved onion slices, tomato and olives. Drizzle the remaining dressing over salad and serve immediately.
Dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Salad:
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives
1 can anchovy fillets (entirely optional!)
2 cans albacore tuna, drained and broken into chunks
2 hardboiled eggs, sliced
Make the dressing first: In a jar combine olive oil, vinegar and seasonings and shake well. Set aside.
Cook the green beans whole in a small amount of boiling, salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain them well and turn them into a shallow dish. Add 1/2 cup of the dressing and toss until the beans are well-coated. Refrigerate beans, covered, until well-chilled, at least 2 hours. At this point you can also refrigerate the remaining salad dressing and ingredients.
To serve, turn the marinated beans into a salad bowl. Add all but a few onion slices, tomato wedges, olives and toss gently. Then add the tuna chunks, anchovies, if desired, and egg slices and toss again. Garnish the salad with the reserved onion slices, tomato and olives. Drizzle the remaining dressing over salad and serve immediately.
