My Cooking Repertoire: Salade Nicoise
Entertaining is so much easier when you have a repertoire of tried and true recipes that you can pull from to prepare for guests. One of the more fuss-free examples is a salade composée, a salad that is arranged, typically on a platter, rather than tossed in a bowl. My favorite among them is the Provencal Salade Nicoise, as lovely to look at as it is delicious to eat.
Many well-know cooks have written on the subject of Salade Nicoise, including Julia Child and James Beard, but my favorite musings are from Simon Hopkinson, which appeared in his book, Roast Chicken and Other Stories.
Of late I have come to the conclusion that tuna is redundant in a salade Nicoise. This is purely personal and I know that some aficionados would heartily disagree with me. It's just that I don't think cooked tuna is anything to write home about--and I've even tried cooking my own in olive oil. So, as long as the anchovies used are of superior quality, I say just up the quantity and ditch the tuna.
The other ingredients are also a matter for debate. Rather than say what I think are key ingredients I would only ask that strips of raw green bell pepper are not included. I also like green beans to be cooked though--not so that they squeak when you bite them.
I am in total agreement with Hopkinson when it comes to the bell peppers and the green beans. And while I can take or leave the tuna, I find that finicky American palates have trouble with the humble anchovy, so I typically leave them out. When time permits, I like to poach a bit of salmon to use in place of the tuna, or if you're game, seared tuna is fun, but good quality canned tuna is authentic and delicious with the proper vinaigrette.
My favorite vinaigrette comes from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. I always double and sometimes triple his recipe, it's so good, and any last drops are sopped up with the ends of the baguette I've served with it.
My Salade Nicoise is generally composed of poached salmon, hard boiled eggs, thin French haricots verts, yellow baby Dutch potatoes, cherry or grape tomatoes, scallions, Nicoise olives and capers. It doesn't hurt that this meal can be made vegetarian- or vegan-friendly simply by leaving out the fish and the eggs. Picky eaters can just pick out what they like. And for those who like everything, it's a meal that is pretty enough to eat.
Salade Nicoise Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1/8 cup red wine vinegar, plus a little more if needed
About 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 small shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Directions:
1. Make the vinaigrette by adding the vinegar to the oil, along with the salt and pepper, shallot, and mustard. Stir and taste. Add more vinegar if necessary and adjust seasoning. Stir or shake vigorously, over the salad, and serve.
How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman, MacMillan, 1998
--Tracy Schneider
Pamela on July 05, 2009 at 07:36 PM
The amount and type of vinegar seems to be missing from the recipe.
Wendy on July 05, 2009 at 10:29 PM
I'm not sure why it's never occurred to me to make this salad at home. A classic, easy to assemble.
Tracy Schneider on July 06, 2009 at 07:34 AM
Thanks, Pamela. You can't have a vinaigrette without the vinegar! I've added it to the recipe. Bittman uses red wine vinegar, and it really packs a punch.
Wendy, I'm not sure when I had that "aha moment" when I realized that I could do this so easily in my own kitchen. Salade Nicoise is great for entertaining large groups of people with varying food requirements and makes a stunning presentation. When there's big group, I make two platters and place them at both ends of the table. I often serve the vinaigrette separately, allowing guests to dress their salad as they like. Any undressed leftovers I keep in the fridge overnight, then toss them together with the leftover vinaigrette for lunch the next day.
SinoSoul on July 06, 2009 at 10:52 AM
what's the point of salade Nicoise w/o anchovy? The American palate is used to eating fileted catfish. Using "the American palate" as an excuse to forego a most delicious ingredient seems a bit archaic, especially during the current food renaissance.