saladsAmanda Blantonnicoise salad, niçoise salad, brunch, vegan brunch, french salad, french potato salad, vegan nicoise salad, vegan niçoise salad, plant-based nicoise salad, brunch saladComment

Nicoise Salad

saladsAmanda Blantonnicoise salad, niçoise salad, brunch, vegan brunch, french salad, french potato salad, vegan nicoise salad, vegan niçoise salad, plant-based nicoise salad, brunch saladComment
Nicoise Salad
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Niçoise Salad

Serves 3-4

1 head butter lettuce

½ -1 scant cup black or kalamata olives

1 handful cold blanched green beans

1 1/2 cups (about ½ recipe) french potato salad

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup chopped hearts of palm

1/2 cup eggy tofu

2-3 tbsp chopped chives

Dressing

½-¾ cup olive oil

¼ c white wine vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

Pinch of salt and ground black pepper

Directions

  1. If you haven’t already, prepare your potato salad and eggy tofu and set aside. 

  2. Separate your butter lettuce leaves from the stem. Rinse and drain. Let air dry or pat dry. 

  3. Boil water in a small pot. While you wait, snap the ends off your green beans and cut them down to bite sized - in half or thirds most likely. Once your water boils, pop them in for 2 minutes to blanch. 

  4. Wash and dry your tomatoes and halve them, some in half lengthwise, some horizontally, and some on the bias. For pizazz. 

  5. Drain your artichoke hearts and dry them a bit. Chop them in half on the bias and then again in the other direction. We’re trying to serve some tuna vibes with the shape and texture here. 

  6. To assemble: there are two ways to prepare this salad. The traditional serving is to be passed around and have individuals take what they like, so you plate the lettuce and then group the toppings around the lettuce. I personally prefer to plate a composed, individual serving of salad with a generous array of each topic across the lettuce and then topped with minced herbs. Offer dressing with the composed plate.

  7. You do you.

Traditional, buffet-style presentation.

Traditional, buffet-style presentation.

A composed plating variation. I like to tuck the toppings into the layers of the butter lettuce that are naturally created when you stack them. It is a hide-and-seek salad!

A composed plating variation. I like to tuck the toppings into the layers of the butter lettuce that are naturally created when you stack them. It is a hide-and-seek salad!

Notes

Blanching the greens beans helps to soften them and give them a vibrant green color. You don’t want to cook them all the way. I prefer marinated artichoke hearts vs. those in water in a can. More flavor on the former, but both work and are still delicious. I tried real hard to find niçoise olives, but never did. Kalamata are perfect briny magic bites for this salad.