Authentic Niçoise Salad

This homemade *Salade Niçoise* is a vibrant, flavorful medley of fresh tomatoes, crunchy bell peppers, crisp radishes, and cool cucumber. Topped with hard-boiled eggs, succulent tuna, and briny anchovies, all drizzled with a simple herbed dressing, this salad is the epitome of Mediterranean freshness. True to its roots, you won’t find green beans or potatoes in this authentic version—just pure, unadulterated flavor. 

This Niçoise Salad is a wonderfully crisp and satisfying dish, perfect for your next BBQ, a refreshing lunchbox addition, or a light, satisfying dinner. It’s a taste of Provence in every bite!

While *Salade Niçoise* is adored around the globe, many versions you encounter today stray from its true origins. Hailing from the sun-soaked city of Nice in the heart of Provence, this iconic salad has sparked much debate over its proper ingredients. The traditional recipe has been altered countless times outside of France, leading to some common misconceptions about what should—and shouldn’t—belong in a *Niçoise*. So, if you're after the real deal, this recipe sticks closely to its Mediterranean roots.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 small butterhead lettuce (Bibb, Boston)
• 200g fava beans, cooked and cooled (about 500 g shelled beans) 
• 2 medium tomatoes or 1 large heirloom
• 1 can tuna in oil (80g total, about 50g after oil drained) 
• ½ green bell pepper
• ½ cucumber
• 6 pink radishes bulbs
• ½ large summer onion (white part only)
• 50g Nicoises olives (or black olives), pitted or unpitted
• 8-10 anchovy fillets, drained
• 4 fresh basil leaves, rougly chopped
• 2 tbsp (30ml) extra virgin oive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• Salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

Step 1 - Make the hard-boiled eggs. In a small pot, cover the eggs with cold water by an inch. Heat the pot on high heat to bring the water to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid (keep it on the hot burner) and let sit for exactly 10 minutes. Drain the water, run cold water over the eggs to stop the cooking process and peel once cooled enough to touch.

Step 2 – Prepare the lettuce. Tear the lettuce into large pieces. Wash under cold water and set aside on a cloth or paper towel to dry.

Step 3 - Prepare the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized cubes, transfer into a bowl and toss with ½ tsp of salt so they render some of their juices. Set aside. Seed and cut the green bell pepper into thin strips. Peel and cut the ½ cucumber in half (lenghtwise), seed the inside by gliding the tip of a spoon across the length of the flesh, and cut into ¼-inch thick half-rounds. Slice the radishes into thin slices. Cut the summer onion into thin slices (discard ends). Peel and cut the hard-boiled eggs in quarters.

Step 4 - Assemble the salad. Rub the cut garlic clove onto the bottom of two serving plates. Place lettuce pieces evenly onto the plates. In a large bowl, stir together the fava beans, green bell peppers, cucumber, radishes, green onions, olives, and diced tomatoes - keep the juices aside. Scatter evenly onto the two plates. Top with equal parts of anchovies, tuna chunks and finally the halved eggs.

Step 6 – Make the dressing. Stir 2 tablespoons (30ml) of extra-vrigin olive oil with the remaining juice of the tomatoes. Add chopped basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste and drizzle the dressing onto each plate, just before serving.

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