Nicoise Salad, which originated in the French city of Nice, is a classic summer salad that is traditionally made with boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, nicoise olives, and an assortment of vegetables. However, this salad diverges from the traditional version. To make the salad healthier, I omitted the potatoes. I also don't like eggs, so I left those off. Finally, nicoise olives can be hard to find, so I substituted in Kalamata olives.
INGREDIENTS
-Mixed greens
-2 large radishes
-1/4 English cucumber
-1 handful cherry tomatoes
-1 handful fresh green beans
-1/4 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
-1-2 tablespoons sliced Kalamata olives
-***1 salmon steak
-1/4 cup olive oil
-Juice of 1 lemon
-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
-1 shallot, minced
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/8 teaspoon pepper
Optional: boiled potatoes & hard-boiled eggs
DIRECTIONS
1. Begin by bringing a small pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the green beans and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer immediately to an ice bath. Then drain green beans and set aside.
2. Prep the vegetables: wash the produce, thinly slice the radishes, dice the cucumber, and cut the tomatoes in half.
3. Add a few handfuls of mixed greens to a plate. In groups, add the following to the plate on top of the lettuce: sliced radishes, diced cucumber, sliced tomatoes, cooked green beans, drained and rinsed cannellini beans, and sliced Kalamata olives.
4. Heat olive oil in a small skillet. Season the salmon on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook the salmon about 4-5 minutes per side. Plate salmon.
5. While the salmon cooks, prepare the vinaigrette. Peel and mince the shallot, and add the following to a small mason jar: olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced shallot, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Shake to combine, and pour about half of the vinaigrette over the salad.
***MM Option: To make this meal meatless, you can leave off the salmon and substitute in boiled potatoes.