Chopped Nicoise Salad

You can never go wrong with a classic.
We all have a favorite classic movie, song, and book. They may depend on the generation we’re from, but we can all agree on some. Like Someone Like It Hot, Born To Run, and On The Road.
They are classics with good reason. They have endured the test of time, proving their greatness over and over again. They bridge age and generational gaps and they’re awesome, just like that.

Then there are classic recipes. And they are totally awesome just the way they are.
Burgers, chocolate chip cookies, ice-cream, spaghetti and meatballs, brownies, and even Nicoise salad.
Granted, Nicoise salad is not a classic American recipe (more like a classic French recipe) but a classic recipe nonetheless.
Which to me is like an old familiar friend — one I can always count on and that never fails to make me feel at ease.

There's really not much to know about Nicoise Salad, other than how good it is.
I mean, I’m not reinventing the wheel here.
I took the traditional French recipe — that includes lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, tuna, anchovies, black olives, and eggs — and chopped everything into fairly small pieces.
The end result was a mixture of textures and flavors that was super fun to eat.

I tend to stick to the classic Nicoise recipe but when no one’s looking I like to add an avocado, sometimes even some walnuts or a couple of sun-dried tomatoes.
You may also add other things such as corn, onions, artichokes, bell peppers, and radishes.
The sky’s the limit!
Even though the French would probably turn up their noses.

With this Chopped Nicoise Salad I’m just reminding you (and myself) not to forget about the classics. Alrite?

Chopped Nicoise Salad                                                                                                  Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 4

2 large (free-range organic) eggs
12 oz / 340 gr red potatoes, peeled and cut into small dices
8 oz / 220 gr green beans
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 tablespoons black olives, cut into slivers
5 oz / 140 gr herb salad mix or sliced romaine lettuce
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 (5 oz / 140 gr) cans tuna in water, drained (I used Wild Planet wild albacore tuna)
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon chopped anchovies fillets (optional)

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
Fine grain sea salt

Directions

Put the eggs in medium saucepan and cover with cold water by a ½-inch. Bring to a gently boil over medium-high heat. When the eggs start rattling against the bottom of the pan, turn off the heat, cover with a lid, and let sit for 12 minutes. Remove and run under cool water. Peel the eggs, roughly chop them, and put in the refrigerator.
In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add diced potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes (you want the potatoes to retain a bit of crunch). Fish them out of the water with a slotted spoon, drain and let cool.
Add the green beans to water and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a cutting board, chop them, and set aside.
Shake olive oil, vinegar, and salt in a tightly-lidded container or whisk together in a small bowl. Set aside.
To serve, combine in a large salad bowl (or in 4 individual bowls), herb salad mix, eggs, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, black olives, capers, tuna, and anchovies (if using). Stir in vinaigrette.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 389 calories, 22 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbs, and 24 grams of protein.