Without any tuna or anchovies, I guess you might upset the good people of Nice a bit with this one, but it is an exceptionally delicious and substantial salad—with plenty going on. I like to cook the eggs so they are hard-boiled but the yolks still quite soft. For more vegetable-based recipes, read the original article, Frequently Vegetarian: Making a Case for Eating More Vegetables.
Fish-Free Salad Niçoise Recipe
• 1 pound new potatoes
• Sea salt
• 7 ounces green beans, cut lengthwise into roughly 1-inch strips
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 to 3 small heads of lettuce
• A handful of small black olives
• About 12 large basil leaves, torn (or use small ones whole)
• Freshly ground black pepper
Salad Dressing
• 1/2 small garlic clove, crushed with a little coarse sea salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• A pinch of sugar
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. You can cook small new potatoes whole, but cut larger ones in half or smaller so the pieces are all roughly the same size. Put potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add salt and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 to 12 minutes until tender, adding beans for the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain, tip into a bowl, and leave to cool.
3. To cook the eggs, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add eggs, return to a simmer, then cook for 7 minutes.
4. Remove eggs from pan, lightly crack shells, and run eggs under cold water for a minute or two to stop the cooking. Leave to cool, then peel and quarter.
5. To make the dressing, put garlic, oil, vinegar, mustard and sugar into a screw-top jar, season with salt and pepper, and shake until emulsified.
6. Halve, quarter or thickly slice cooked potatoes. Put them back with beans, add some of the dressing, and toss together gently.
7. Tear lettuce leaves and gently toss in a bowl with a little dressing. Arrange lettuce, potatoes and beans on a serving platter and distribute olives and eggs over salad. Scatter with torn basil, drizzle with remaining dressing and season with pepper. Serve immediately with bread. Serves 4.
This article is reprinted with permission from River Cottage Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House.
