Seared Tuna Nicoise Salad
The ultimate in tasty and versatile, Seared Tuna Nicoise Salad can feed two people or twelve. It can be served warm or cold and it can be made a day in advance and then assembled the day of. Modify the salad to your specific tastes and preferences…use tuna or salmon (fresh or canned), hard-boiled or jammy eggs, delete the potatoes and add the radishes. You get the idea!
Jump to RecipeIngredients
Salad ingredients – sushi grade tuna steaks, eggs, yukon gold baby potatoes, haricot verts, kalamata olives, capers, tomatoes (any kind), anchovies and arugula.
Vinaigrette
Combine champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, fresh black pepper and olive oil in a bowl with a whisk or use a jar with a lid and vigorously shake until emulsified. Set dressing aside until ready to use. Whisk or shake again before serving.
Jammy Eggs
Bring a large pot of water to a full, rolling boil. Once boiling, gently lower eggs into the water using a large spoon. Keep the water at a full boil the whole time. After 7 minutes and 30 seconds (set timer!) transfer the eggs to an ice bath for 3 minutes to stop them from cooking. The ice water bath also will make the eggs easier to peel. Peel the eggs.
Store peeled eggs in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, cut the eggs in half vertically. It’s best not to cut them until ready to serve the salad. Eggs can be cooked up to 2 days in advance.
Haricot Verts (Skinny String Beans)
Heat olive oil in a large pan over high heat until oil is almost smoking. Once oil is heated, add the beans in a single layer and lower heat to medium-high. You may need to cook the beans in two batches. Leave beans undisturbed until browned and blistered on one side, approx 3 minutes. Then toss with tongs and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until beans are browned and blistered all over. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside.
Beans can be cooked one day in advance, if desired.
Cooking the Potatoes
Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes back over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel to allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the towel and let rest for at least 10 minutes to cool.
Potatoes can be cooked one day in advance and stored whole in the refrigerator. Slice potatoes in half when ready to serve the salad.
Seared Tuna
Season tuna with salt and pepper on both sides, Place oil in a large non stick pan and heat on medium high. Carefully place tuna in the hot oil and sear for approx. two minutes on the first side until a slight crust is formed, and then flip steaks and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Cooking time is 3-4 minutes total.
Actual cooking time depends on the thickness of the steaks and what temperature you prefer your tuna. These cooking times are for Seared Tuna, cooked on the outside and raw on the inside. If you want fully cooked tuna, the steaks will need to be cooked longer.
Tuna can be cooked one day in advance. Let steaks cool slightly and wrap in plastic, refrigerate, and then slice against the grain when ready to assemble salad. You can also sear the steaks in the same pan you cooked the beans in to save on cleaning tasks!
Seared Tuna Nicoise Salad
To assemble the salad, place the arugula on a very large platter. Then arrange the tuna, potatoes, jammy eggs, haricot verts, olives, capers, anchovies and any other ingredients you may want to use on top of the arugula in any order you choose. You can’t go wrong here! Place the vinaigrette in a small bowl and fit it on the platter. You can also dress the salad, if that’s your preference.
Seared Tuna Nicoise Salad
Ingredients
- 5-6 large eggs brown or white
- 2 lbs sushi grade tuna steaks approx 6-ounce portions
- 12 oz Haricots Verts (skinny string beans)
- 1 lb Yukon Gold baby potatoes
- 1 2 oz can anchovies fillets packed in oil
- 1 cup Olives Kalamata or your favorite olives
- 2 bags Trader Joe's arugula or mixed field greens or 14 oz
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes any color, left whole or halved
Optional Salad Additions
- radishes, capers or caperberries, pickled onions, asparagus, broccolini, marinated artichokes, etc.
Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar substitute with white wine vinegar if you don’t have Champagne Vinegar in your pantry.
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Vinaigrette
- Combine ingredients in a bowl with a whisk or use a jar with a lid and vigorously shake until emulsified. Set dressing aside until ready to use. Whisk or shake again before serving.
Jammy Eggs
- Bring a large pot of water to a full, rolling boil. Once boiling, gently lower eggs into the water using a large spoon. Keep the water at a full boil the whole time. After 7 minutes and 30 seconds (set timer!) transfer the eggs to an ice bath for 3 minutes to stop them from cooking. The ice water bath also will make the eggs easier to peel. Peel the eggs. Store peeled eggs in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, cut the eggs in half vertically. It’s best not to cut them until ready to serve the salad. Eggs can be cooked up to 2 days in advance.
Haricots Verts (Skinny String Beans)
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over high heat until oil is almost smoking. Once oil is heated, add the beans in a single layer and lower heat to medium-high. You may need to cook the beans in two batches. Leave beans undisturbed until browned and blistered on one side, approx 3 minutes. Then toss with tongs and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until beans are browned and blistered all over. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside. Beans can be cooked one day in advance, if desired.
Yukon Gold Potatoes
- Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes back over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel to allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the towel and let rest for at least 10 minutes to cool. Potatoes can be cooked one day in advance and stored whole in the refrigerator. Slice potatoes in half when ready to serve the salad.
Sushi-Grade Tuna (See NOTES section for alternatives)
- Season tuna with salt and pepper on both sides, Place oil in a large non stick pan and heat on medium high. Carefully place tuna in the hot oil and sear for approx. two minutes on the first side until a slight crust is formed, and then flip steaks and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Cooking time is 3-4 minutes total. Actual cooking time depends on the thickness of the steaks and what temperature you prefer your tuna. These cooking times are for Seared Tuna, cooked on the outside and raw on the inside. If you want fully cooked tuna the steaks will need to be cooked longer. Tuna can be cooked one day in advance. Let cool slightly, then wrap in plastic, refrigerate, and slice against the grain when ready to assemble salad. You can also sear the steaks in the same pan you cooked the beans in to save on cleaning tasks!
Assembly
- When ready to serve, place the arugula on a very large platter. Then arrange the tuna, potatoes, jammy eggs, haricot verts, olives, capers, anchovies and any other ingredients you may want to use on top of the arugula in any order you choose. You can't go wrong here! Place the vinaigrette in a small bowl and fit it on the platter. You can also dress the salad, if that's your preference.
Notes
Recipe is from a combination of Ina Garten’s Roasted Salmon Nicoise Platter and Bon Appétit’s Grilled Halibut Nicoise with Market Vegetables. Thank you to Helene for opening my eyes to Ina’s recipe and sharing where she bought her extra large serving platter!
If you like this recipe, you may also like these other GFchow recipes. Pan-Seared Tuna and Avocado with Soy-Lime Dressing, Salmon with Creamy Dill Dressing, and Crab Louie Cobb Salad.
GLUTEN FREE DISCLAIMER
The recipes you find here are considered by me to be gluten free. However, it is up to you to make sure the ingredients you use are gluten free. Whenever possible, I will list specific brands of ingredients that I use, but always be sure to check the labels yourself to verify the item is gluten free.
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