Inspiration for Creating Healthy Home-Cooked Food Every Day

Meal of the Month: Summer Niçoise Salad

By RUTH LAURENT-KOCHER | Contributing Writer

Schools are out, summer is officially here, and as the temperature starts to heat up, a healthy, but substantial, salad is just the ticket for a quick, easy dinner solution.

One of my favorite salads is a Niçoise, a signature dish from the city of Nice, nestled on the French Riviera. The area is known for its fresh seafood, abundant vegetables and some of the best olives in France, all of which make it into this meal. Warm new potatoes, crunchy green beans, salty olives with juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce and “jammy” soft-boiled eggs, topped with a fresh grilled tuna steak—delicious.

If you haven’t cooked fresh tuna, you will be amazed at how simple it is, and it’s packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, good for a healthy heart, red blood cells and cholesterol. Or you can replace the tuna with a fillet of salmon for a different take.

This salad comes together in just 30 minutes, and is naturally gluten-free, high in protein, low in fat and very satisfying. Here is my take on this Mediterranean summer classic.

Ingredients:

Serves 4 to 6

• 4 to 6 fresh tuna fillets, four- to six-oz each (or medium-sized salmon fillets)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz baby new potatoes, washed and halved
• 8 oz green beans, trimmed and halved
• 3 to 4 eggs, boiled for three to four minutes and halved or quartered
• 1 red onion, peeled and sliced thinly (optional)
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced, then halved
• 8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup of pitted black olives
• 2 iceberg or butter lettuce hearts, leaves separated and washed
• 1 lemon, cut into 4 to 6 pieces to garnish

Dressing

• 1 tsp of whole grain mustard
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Get three small saucepans. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 12 to 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. At the same time, steam the green beans in salted water for seven to 10 minutes; when just starting to soften, but still a little crunchy, drain and place in iced cold water in a bowl to chill and crisp.
3. In the third pan, boil eggs for three minutes, let sit, then peel and cut in half or quarters.
4. Heat the olive oil and cook the tuna in a cast-iron skillet, preferably with ridges, high heat, then turn down to medium, five minutes each side until browned. Cook to your taste, cut into a piece and see if it’s cooked to your liking, from seared to cooked through.
5. In a large wide salad bowl, mix the red onion, yellow pepper, cherry tomatoes, olives and lettuce, then add the potatoes and green beans, salt, and pepper.
6. Make the dressing by shaking the mustard, lemon, red wine vinegar and olive oil in a shaker/jar and toss well into the salad. Save a little dressing.
7. Serve the salad generously on each plate, place the tuna on top and position the eggs around the sides. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the tuna. Place a wedge of lemon on each plate.

If you want more inspiration from Ruth’s healthy recipes and a “how-to guide” to planning healthy home-cooked dinners every day, her first book, “Step Up To Dinner,” is a must-buy. To purchase a copy, arrange a group workshop or book a private consultation, email ruth@uptotheplate.org or go to uptotheplate.org, and you can follow Ruth on Instagram @upto_theplate.