Nicoise
Nicoise in French means ‘of Nice’, a French city on the Mediterranean coast. It doesn’t get more Mediterranean than grilled fish, with a beautiful selection of Vegetables and lots of Olive Oil. I eat and serve this Salad a lot over the summer months, in a variety of different ways. Here are just a few examples to inspire your next Nicoise.
Pick only the finest ingredients for your Nicoise, organic, homegrown or farm to table vegetables, wild Tuna or Salmon and a good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Choose organic, cold pressed Olive Oil made in a single region. One that has a harvest date on the bottle, the more recent the better. Frankie’s is my go-to.
A big Tuna Steak grilled on a hot skillet ,along side grilled Lemon Slices, Jalapeno cut in half lengthwise, and grilled. Served with steamed Green Beans, boiled Potato cubes (no skin), Cherry Tomatoes (halved), whole pitted Black Kalamata Olives, sliced grilled Jalapeno, Salt, Black Pepper, Olive Oil with grilled Lemon squeezed on top of everything.
Similar to above Nicoise, but with Tuna broken up, cooked New Potatoes (skin on), Capers, and thinly sliced Shallot and Basil added to Cherry Tomatoes.
A more traditional Nicoise, with Salmon instead of Tuna. Fillet of King Salmon, pan seared in some Olive Oil with Salt and Black Pepper. Steamed Green Beans. Anchovies from a can. Red Peppers sliced thin and roasted on low heat until they start to char. Hard boiled Eggs, Lettuce, Kalamata Olives (pitted) and Capers. Dressed with Lemon Juice and Olive Oil
Similar to above, with tri-color New Potatoes steamed (skin on and halved), Orange Peppers instead of Red with the addition of Parsley. No Capers.
My traditional salad Nicoise lunch at Club 55, St. Tropez, France.