Nicoise Style Tuna Salad With White Beans And Olives Recipes

TUNA SALAD NIçOISE

Steps:

• Whisk the lemon juice, mustard, shallot, mustard, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until thick and emulsified. Set dressing aside.
• Boil the green beans in salted water for 3-4 minutes or until just cooked through, but still crisp and bright green. Drain and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water. Beans can be cooked a day ahead, kept in the fridge wrapped in a damp paper towel, inside a sealed plastic baggy.
• Scrub or peel potatoes and cut them into 1/4-inch slices crosswise, placing slices in a large bowl of cold water, as you go, to prevent browning. Boil potatoes in salted water for 5 minutes or until they are fork-tender. (They will soften a bit more as they cool.) Drain and transfer them to a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Toss gently and let them cool for 10 minutes or so. Potatoes can be stored overnight in an airtight container in the fridge. (see notes below for more details and substitutions)
• Cut the eggs crosswise into thin slices or cut them in half or into quarters. Do this step at the last minute.
• Compose the salad on a large platter or arrange it onto individual plates. Line a large platter (or plates) with lettuce (trick: for Bibb lettuce, if the leaves curl too much, crack the thick white spines gently to help them lie flat). Arrange ingredients in separate piles around the platter. I like to start with the tuna - slightly off center - and work around it. Sprinkle tomatoes, green beans, eggs and tuna with little salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes with a few tablespoons of dressing, before adding them. Drizzle dressing over everything else except the olives, capers and anchovies. If there's any remaining dressing, serve it on the side. Sprinkle fresh herbs over everything and serve.

NIçOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Boil the potatoes for about 4 minutes.
• Remove with a slotted spoon, drain, then slice them in half. (Leave the water in the pot, though; you'll use it for blanching the green beans in a few moments.)
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, with a bit of olive oil until it's quite hot, then place the sliced potatoes in the pan, cut-side down.
• Sear for a minute or two until the potatoes are lightly browned, then remove them from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Toss with kosher salt and set aside.
• Bring the water back to a boil, and add the green beans. Blanch for 2 minutes.
• Remove with tongs to a bowl of ice water to shock them and keep them from cooking further. Drain and dry them with paper towels and set aside.
• Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, and anchovies in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. (The anchovies are salty, so you might not need much additional salt.)
• Place the salad greens in a bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the dressing and toss to coat. Arrange the greens on 4 serving plates or 1 large platter. Distribute the potato halves equally, with the browned sides facing up.
• Toss the green beans, olives, and tomatoes with enough additional dressing to lightly coat them, and arrange them on the salad.
• Divide the tuna and place it in the center of plates. Arrange the hard-boiled egg quarters, then garnish with the fresh parsley and serve. Note: Instead of the vinaigrette, you could serve a Niçoise salad with garlic aioli .

CLASSIC TUNA NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Bring 2 medium pots of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes to 1 pot and blanch until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander, pat dry, and set aside. Add the green beans to the other pot and blanch until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, pat dry, and set aside.
• Arrange the tuna on a cutting board and cut into 4 equal portions. Season the tuna steaks with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, each. Heat the oil in a large skillet (or 2 medium skillets), over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the rosemary sprigs and tuna steaks and sear, about 30 seconds per side for medium-rare. Remove from the pan and dice the tuna into 1-inch pieces.
• Tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces and combine with chopped fresh parsley and tarragon. Toss with enough of the Anchovy Dressing just to coat. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as needed. Toss the potatoes and green beans in 1/4 cup of the Anchovy Dressing. Arrange the lettuce along the side of 4 large plates (or 1 serving platter). Spoon the vegetables along the other side of the plate. Arrange the diced tuna over the lettuce. Arrange the tomatoes, olives, sliced red onions, and eggs on the other sides of the plates (or serving platter). Garnish with additional herbs if desired and serve immediately.
• In a medium bowl, mash the anchovy, salt, pepper, and garlic into a paste with the back of a fork. Add the egg and whisk well to blend. Add the lemon juice and mustard, and whisk well. Add the oils in a steady stream, whisking constantly to form a thick emulsion. Add the shallots, capers and Worcestershire, whisk well, and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

TUNA NICOISE SALAD WITH PARMESAN

Steps:

• Combine the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Add the mesclun greens to bowl with dressing and toss. Put greens on platter and set bowl aside with leftover dressing, to drizzle over other ingredients at end.
• Slice tuna steaks on bias and arrange on top of greens. Scatter the olives and cherry or grape tomatoes over the salad. Add the reserved, cooked and cut Yukon gold potatoes and reserved green beans. Drain capers and scatter on top of greens. With kitchen shears, snip the parsley over the salad. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan over top of salad along with any leftover dressing.