Southern Vancouver Island has been described as having a Mediterranean-style climate and it certainly has felt that way this summer. Here we are in September, and the weather is still warm, dry and perfect for a dinner salad.
My wife and I enjoyed that cool type of meal on Monday, when the temperature reached around 30 C. Items we found in our pantry, garden and at a farm market all screamed niçoise salad.
Called salade niçoise in French, this type of dish originated in Nice, France — hence its name. Most versions of it contain chunks of tuna, boiled eggs, niçoise olives, herbs such as basil and vegetables, such as beans, tomatoes and potatoes, some of which have been cooked and cooled. Anchovies are also in some niçoise salads.
Once the ingredients are ready for the salad, you have options as to how you should proceed.
For example, some recipes say to gently toss them with a vinaigrette-style dressing, marinate them a little while, then serve them on lettuce. Others, such as my recipe, ask you to arrange the ingredients on the lettuce and serve the salad dressing alongside for drizzling on top.
I used the latter method because the produce I had was locally grown and so full of flavour, I wanted its fine taste to be complemented by the dressing, not soaked and potentially overwhelmed by it.
The B.C. canned albacore tuna I used in my salad was also quite flavourful and prepared at St. Jean’s Cannery (stjeans.com) in Nanaimo. It’s a premium product sold at some grocery stores and seafood stores under the St. Jean’s Cannery brand and other ones, such as Raincoast Trading.
That tuna is hand-packed, which means after the raw fish is trimmed, a person packs it into the can with a touch of sea salt and cooks it in the can, ensuring all its flavour and nutritional benefits remain there.
As for the boiled eggs used in my salad, I prepared them by setting the eggs in a small pot, covered by at least one inch of cold water. I brought them to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, where small bubbles were rising and breaking on the surface. After adjusting the heat to ensure that temperature is maintained, you can cook the eggs to the desired doneness. Five minutes should yield eggs medium in doneness; cook them nine minutes for hard-boiled.
When cooked, drain the hot water from the eggs and fill the pot with ice-cold water.
Let the eggs sit and cool three minutes, then start peeling. Gently tap and crack the eggs on the bottom and top of the shell. You’ll find that, during cooking, a small air pocket will have developed at one of those ends. That is the spot to start peeling your eggs, as the shell will naturally peel off more easily there.
Enjoy your niçoise salad outdoors on a patio or deck if you can. This never-ending summer has got to end sometime, so you might as well make the most of it.
Niçoise-style Salad
This main-course salad recipe yields two servings. You can prepare the cooked items, such as the beans, potatoes and eggs, in the morning and keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to plate and serve the salad later in the day.
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking time: About 20 minutes
Makes: two servings
4 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 medium garlic clove, minced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 medium white potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
20 to 24 green beans
1 small to medium head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces, or 1 small to medium head butter lettuce, separated into individual leaves
12 to 16 cherry tomatoes
4 to 6 radishes, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
2 large, medium- or hard-boiled eggs, cooled, peeled and quartered
1 (150 gram) can B.C. albacore tuna, separated into thick flakes
20 to 24 niçoise olives (see Note)
2 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 to 8 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
Make salad dressing by placing oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a jar. Seal the jar, then shake well to combine the ingredients. Set dressing aside until needed.
Place the potatoes in a small to medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium, medium-high heat. Simmer potatoes until just tender, about six to eight minutes. Drain potatoes well, set on a plate and cool to room temperature.
Place a second pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Add the beans and cook two minutes, until bright green and just tender. Drain beans well, cool with ice cold water, then drain well again.
Arrange lettuce on two dinner plates. Artfully arrange the beans, potatoes and remaining ingredients on top of the lettuce. Serve salad with the dressing for drizzling on top.
Note: Small, black niçoise olives are sold in small tubs in the deli section of some supermarkets and Mediterranean-style food stores.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
