My Salade Nicoise
Today is Bastille Day,
the perfect day to be a little French and celebrate France's National Day.
One of my favorite meals to prepare on Bastille Day is a nicoise-style salad. I've tried several recipes over the years (including Julia Child's) and generally combine the ideas and ingredients for my nicoise salads.
According to Jacques Pepin: "Even in Nice, salade nicoise is put together in different ways and with different ingredients. Conventionally it will always have canned tuna, tomatoes, and the small olives that are grown in that region."
According to Jacques Pepin: "Even in Nice, salade nicoise is put together in different ways and with different ingredients. Conventionally it will always have canned tuna, tomatoes, and the small olives that are grown in that region."
Here are a few of my tips, that I've gathered over the years, for a delicious nicoise-style salad...
Tuna
It wouldn't be a nicoise salad without tuna. Buy the best quality tuna you can. Most recipes tell you to get high-quality tuna packed in oil. This year, I lucked out and had tuna which was fresh-canned by my husband's family on the Oregon coast.
Something's Fishy
Anchovies are also a staple in a nicoise salad. I love anchovies but my husband does not. So this year I found an anchovy vinaigrette to use so I snuck them in. Yes, I can be a bit sneaky now and then!
Also a tip from Julia Child, be sure to use the very best quality oil and vinegar for a superior vinaigrette.
Anchovy Vinaigrette
My favorite anchovy vinaigrette is by Jeanne Kelley from her recipe Salad Nicoise Un Peu Classique. Her recipe makes about 1 cup of vinaigrette. You can find the complete recipe in her wonderful book Salad for Dinner .
I found a site for Jeanne's recipe, so here you go:
Bon Appetit!
Whether you serve your nicoise salad on a platter or a plate don't forget theses staples: oil-packed tuna, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, capers, nicoise olives, haricots verts, parsley and a bed of lettuce. Anchovies optional.
And if you want to make your Salade Nicoise Julia Child's way, you can watch her version from her televison show, The French Chef. It's really fun to watch!
As Julia would say:
"Bon Appetit!"
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