For decades, any salad that contained tuna was labeled a Niçoise salad – whether the tuna was fresh, canned, raw, or cooked. Few of these salads resemble the iconic, authentic salad of Nice made with thin-skinned green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and other local vegetables such as baby artichokes and olives. It’s easy to make a meal of this tuna, potato & vegetable salad, and it’s easy to replace out-of-season tomatoes with a shredded carrot. If no good green beans are available, broccoli makes a sufficient substitute too. An ample amount of minced fresh herbs really make this dish.

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons red, white, or sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh)
• 1 small garlic clove (mince finely, or puree in mortar & pestle)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper (according to preference)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ cup olive oil, extra virgin (a low fat dressing can be made by replacing some of the oil with yoghurt instead)

For the Salad

• 1 pound medium-size of Red Bliss or Yukon gold potatoes (cut into ½ inch pieces)
• 16 1/2-ounce can olive oil or water-packed light tuna, drained (not albacore tuna)
• 1 red or green pepper (thinly sliced)
• 3 or 4 tomatoes (cut into wedges). If unavailable, replace with ½ pound carrots (shred or use a peeler to cut in wide thin strips)
• ½ pound green beans (trim, slice in half if long) If unavailable, broccoli florets will substitute well
• 2 hard-cooked eggs (shell, cut in wedges)
• 1 small head of Romaine Heart, Boston lettuce, or 4-5 cups baby salad greens (wash & dry)
• 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh herbs. You can use tarragon, parsley, chives, basil, marjoram (chopped)

Nutritional Information

• • • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
      659 calories; 34 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 88 milligrams cholesterol; 1313 milligrams sodium

Note:
The information shown is only an estimate based on the available ingredients and specified preparation. This should not take the place of a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Preparation

1. Take a Pyrex measuring cup or small bowl, and whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Dijon and garlic together. Next, whisk in the olive oil (and yoghurt, if desired).
2. Above 1 inch of simmering water, steam the potatoes until tender, approx. 10-15 minutes. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper as you like. Add the tuna, and while the potatoes are still hot, combine with ¼ cup of your dressing. Once again, season with salt & pepper according to preference.
3. If you have opted for green beans, bring a liberally salted pot of water to boil, and fill another bowl with ice water. Add the beans, and cook until tender (roughly 4-5 min), before transferring into the ice water. Cool the beans, then drain & dry on some paper towel. If you have opted for broccoli, steam for 5 min and refresh with cold water before drying on a paper towel. Add your chosen cooked vegetables in the salad bowl, along with your chosen thinly sliced pepper and carrots (if using), as well as half the herbs. Using another ¼ of the dressing, toss everything together.
4. To assemble: Add remaining ingredients into the salad bowl and mix with the rest of the dressing, or combine the greens & herbs with the dressing before mounding into a wide salad bowl or platter. Finally, top with the potato/tuna/vegetable mix, and garnish with tomatoes, olives and eggs.