Salade Niçoise with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette

When the days stretch out and the rosé is deliciously cold, the table is set outdoors and guests are on their way, there is no better dish to serve than a Salade Niçoise. This vibrant, sun-soaked salad from the south of France is a celebration of summer produce in its peak - juicy tomatoes, cucumber, radishes and asparagus, with briny olives, tuna and anchovies to give it the kick that brings it all together. 

It's elegant enough for a weekend lunch, hosting friends, yet hearty and colorful enough for a beautiful Fourth of July celebration. Everything can be prepped ahead of time and assembled easily, served cold. Here is the classic salad with a twist. 

INGREDIENTS (for 4)

Fresh Produce

• 4 ripe heirloom tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 red spring onion, finely sliced
• 1 bunch of radishes
• 1 bunch of asparagus (boiled 3 minutes in salted water, ice bath on removal)
• 1 small bunch fresh basil - torn
• 4 eggs - hard-boiled, halved
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 lemon, juiced

Seafood

• 1 can high-quality tuna in olive oil 
  
• 6-8 anchovy fillets, packed in oil

Pantry

• 1 small jar of olives from Nyons
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt/Black pepper

Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette

🥣 In a small bowl, whisk together:
    •    Juice of 1 lemon
    •    1 tsp Dijon mustard
    •    1 small garlic clove, finely minced
    •    6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    •    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk until emulsified.

🍳 Assemble the Salad

1. Boil the eggs: Place in boiling water for 9 minutes, then ice bath, cool and peel. Halve them before serving.
2. Break the asparagus stalk by hand, just the end, which will naturally separate where it is woody. Place the bunch in boiling, salted water for 3 minutes only. Ice bath.
3. Prep vegetables: Wash and slice tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, and radishes. Tear basil leaves.
4. Assemble the salad:
       •    On a large platter or individual plates, arrange the vegetables in sections or overlapping layers.
       •    Add tuna in generous flakes, place anchovies evenly across the salad, and nestle in the halved eggs.
       •    Scatter the olives and torn basil over the top.
5.  Dress and serve: Spoon vinaigrette over just before serving.
   Serve with crusty bread and a glass of chilled rosé for the full Provençal experience.

Bon appétit !