Classic Nicoise Salad with Vinaigrette
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A nicoise salad is one of those timeless dishes that feels a little fancy, but it’s super easy to pull off — especially my take on it. Think crisp-tender green beans, briny chunks of tuna, creamy potatoes, jammy eggs, and a colorful lineup of fresh herbs and crunchy vegetables, all tied together with a punchy, tangy vinaigrette. You can prep most of it ahead, so when it’s time to eat, you’re basically just assembling a masterpiece on a platter!
This salad is a colorful assemblage of vegetables, tuna and boiled eggs on a bed of lettuce is one of my favorite platters of food to share as a meal.
If you’re not starting from scratch, it’s so easy to make with odds and ends from your pantry. Ingredients such as leftover cooked potatoes, vegetables, handfuls of salad greens and canned tuna can all be used in this hearty salad.
Essential ingredients in Nicoise salad
- Lettuce: Butter lettuce — also named Bibb or Boston lettuce — is my pick for this salad, and I’ve made many. I prefer this type because the leaves are delicate and nutty-tasting, and have a pale green color. The frilly edges of the leaves also look beautiful on the plate.
- Green beans: Classic thin green beans (haricot vert in French) are super traditional in Nicoise salad. I think they’re best when quickly cooked in boiling water (blanched) until they’re crisp-tender and turn bright green.
- Tuna: I am adamant that you splurge on an excellent jarred tuna, packed in olive oil. You can tell the difference between canned tuna and tuna preserved in glass jars because that the latter retains a firm, flaky texture that flakes into satisfying, large pieces.
- Potatoes: Along with tuna, cooked potatoes make this an all-around hearty salad. The best potatoes to use in a salad are low-starch types. Try to find baby yellow or small red potatoes that are about 1-inch in diameter. You can also use larger Yukon potatoes, sliced into 1-inch bite-size chunks.
- Eggs: Boiled eggs are essential! The creamy yolks add richness that contrast very nicely with the other bold and briny ingredients in the salad. See my recipe notes below for cooking times for the perfect texture.
- White beans: While not a typical ingredient in Nicoise, I love how creamy-textured white beans add a textural component and add substance.
- Olives: Traditionally, olives in Nicoise salad are Cailletier, a type of cured black olive. You can use your favorite olive (or leave them out if you aren’t an olive fan) in this salad. I love to use green Castelvetrano, which have a buttery flavor and meaty texture.
Make the vinaigrette dressing
Combine minced shallot, salt, and garlic in a bowl with red wine vinegar. Let it marinate for about 5 minutes. Pro tip: This step dissolves the salt, softens the shallots, and infuses the vinegar with flavor. Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and black pepper.
Whisk until combined, then stream in the olive oil while whisking. The dressing is ready to use when looks creamy and emulsified. Instead of whisking, shake the dressing in a lidded jar.
Assembling Nicoise salad
The beauty of this classic composed salad is that all the elements can be prepped ahead of time or in steps. When you’re ready to eat, it’s time to build the salad!
1. Cook potatoes until fork-tender in a pot of salted boiling water. In the same pot, boil green beans for 3 minutes. Immerse in ice water. 2. Peel hard boiled eggs, then cut into halves or quarters. The green beans, potatoes and eggs can all be cooked up to 2 days ahead. 3. Slice tomatoes and potatoes in half. If using larger potatoes or tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces.
4. Arrange the lettuce leaves over the bottom of a large serving platter. 5. Drizzle with about a teaspoon of the dressing.
6. Put the potatoes in a cluster on one side of the platter, adding a little more dressing. 7. Arrange the beans down the middle of the platter, then lightly drizzle with dressing.
8. Add the white beans (or use chickpeas). 9. Add the tomatoes, and another light layer of dressing.
10. Break the tuna into large chunks and pile on top of the green beans. 11. Tear some of the olives in half and distribute over the salad.
12. Tuck the eggs in here and there. Spoon over a little more dressing. 
13. Scatter the herbs over the salad. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side.
Serving variations
The ingredients in a Nicoise salad are totally flexible. Swap out the components and make your own creation!
- Red bell peppers: Try sliced raw or jarred roasted red peppers.
- Artichoke hearts: I love the kind that are marinated in olive oil.
- Anchovies: Anchovy fillets packed in oil are authentic in Nicoise salad. You can add chopped anchovies to the dressing, or arrange whole ones over the salad.
- Seafood: Instead of using canned tuna, make the salad into a seafood dinner, topped with grilled salmon or tuna fillets.
Classic Nicoise Salad with Tangy Vinaigrette
This Nicoise salad feels a little fancy, but it’s super easy to pull off. Layer crisp-tender green beans, briny chunks of tuna, creamy potatoes, jammy eggs, and a colorful lineup of fresh herbs and crunchy vegetables, and tie it together with a punchy, tangy vinaigrette. You can prep most of it ahead, so when it’s time to eat, you’re basically just assembling a masterpiece on a platter!
Ingredients
Vinaigrette Dressing
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 1 small garlic clove, grated or finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Nicoise Salad
- ½ pound baby yellow or red new potatoes
- ½ pound green beans, trimmed
- 3 cups butterhead lettuce leaves (about 1 head)
- ½ cup cannellini beans, or chickpeas
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 6.7-ounce jar oil-packed tuna, drained
- 2 hardboiled eggs, *see note for cooking times; peeled and sliced into halves or quarters
- ¼ cup green or black olives, drained and pitted
- ½ cup mixed fresh herbs, such as tarragon, chives, basil and/or parsley
Instructions
Make the vinaigrette dressing
- Put the shallot, garlic, wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl or jar. Let the mixture sit 5 minutes — this step dissolves the salt and helps soften the shallots, which infuses flavor into the vinegar.
- Add the Dijon and black pepper to taste. Stir until emulsified, or fasten a lid onto the jar and shake to blend. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking, until the dressing looks thick and creamy, or shake the jar again until blended. *The dressing can be prepared and stored refrigerated up to 3 days.
Cook the green beans and potatoes
- Bring a large sauce pan of water to a boil and salt generously (about 1 tablespoon salt per quart of water) — this will season the potatoes while they cook so they taste delicious! Add the potatoes to the pan and cook until they can easily be pierced with the tip of a knife, about 12 minutes. Scoop the beans out with a slotted spoon. Set aside until cool, then slice in half.
- Add the green beans and cook 3 minutes, until they're bright green. Drain in a colander and immediately run them under cold water. Shake to drain any excess water.
Assemble the salad
- Arrange the lettuce on a large serving platter. Drizzle about a teaspoon of dressing over the leaves.
- Add the potatoes in a cluster on the edge of the platter on top of the lettuce and drizzle lightly with dressing.
- Pile the green beans down the center of the platte. Drizzle lightly with dressing.
- Add clusters of the cannellini beans and tomatoes around the platter, drizzling each with dressing.
- Crumble the tuna over the green beans. Tuck the boiled eggs here and there around the platter. Tear the olives in half if they're large and sprinkle randomly over the platter. Scatter the herbs over the platter.
- Serve the salad with additional dressing on the side.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- To make boiled eggs: Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Lower the eggs into the pan with a slotted spoon. Cook 7 minutes for a soft-boiled egg with a creamy yolk, 8 minutes for a medium yolk, or 9 minutes for hard boiled. Cool the eggs under cold running water. The eggs can be cooked up 1-3 days ahead.
- The best salad potatoes are low-starch types. Try to find very small yellow or red potatoes (about 1-inch in diameter). You can also use larger Yukon potatoes, sliced into 1-inch chunks.
- The potatoes and green beans can be cooked up 1-3 days ahead. Store them refrigerated in airtight containers.
- Tip: Lightly dressing each salad component as it’s layered onto the platter is the key — you want to avoid drenching it in the vinaigrette.
- Seafood: Instead of using canned tuna, make the salad into a seafood dinner using grilled salmon or fresh tuna fillets.
Nutrition
Calories: 304kcal Carbohydrates: 28g Protein: 11g Fat: 18g Sodium: 280mg Fiber: 8g Sugar: 8g
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.