Nicoise Salad is one of the first composed salads I learned how to make. I had never even tasted tuna steak before, and it blew my mind. The only exposure I had had thus far with tuna was my mom’s tuna salad chock full of diced apple and boiled egg. I didn’t realize it could be so meaty and delicious.

I love the idea of presenting tough mixed foods like a salad as a “build your own” dish. This allows eaters to have more control over what they choose to put on their plate, while still exposing them to a high quality dish they may see at a restaurant. Make sure to include something your eaters love on the big salad platter. We love to include cheese cubes, olives, or crusty bread as our family favorites to round out this meal.

Tuna steak can be pricey, but I usually find it in the frozen section of my grocery store for much cheaper than in the fresh meat section. It tastes just as good, and I often find it a little fresher. This is a great option if your eaters are still hesitant of tuna, because it often comes vacuum sealed in separate filets. Simply take out as much as you think your family will eat that night, and save the other half for next time. Or you can cook the whole package and make the world’s most delicious tuna salad the next day. Cook once eat twice, am I right?

Build Your Own Nicoise Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes

12 ounces fresh green beans

6 eggs

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 pound tuna steak (I use frozen)

5 ounces spring mix greens

Instructions

Potatoes

1. Clean potatoes and add to a large pot. Cover potatoes with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
2. While you wait, make dressing.
3. Remove potatoes with a spider tool or slotted spoon (do not drain water!).
4. Prepare a medium bowl with ice water for green beans.
5. When cooled slightly, cut potatoes in half. Pour half of dressing over potatoes and stir to combine.

Green Beans

1. Return water to boil, toss in green beans. Cook for 30 seconds or until bright green. Remove green beans with spider tool or slotted spoon and place in ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
2. Remove green beans from water bath once they are cooled down and place in small bowl. Save water bath for eggs, if there is still ice left.
3. Return water to boil again.

Boiled Eggs

1. Add eggs using a slotted spoon or spider tool. Cook for 10 minutes or your preferred boiled egg time.
2. Remove eggs from pot and place in ice water bath or run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. Peel eggs once they are cooled slightly.

Dressing

1. Add garlic, Dijon, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to a medium bowl. Whisk mixture. Slowly pour in olive oil while whisking to emulsify dressing.
2. Whisk until dressing is smooth and creamy.
3. Dip a green bean into dressing and taste. Adjust salt if needed.

Sear Tuna

1. Heat heavy pan (preferably cast iron) over high heat for 2-3 minutes or until very hot. Pat tuna steaks dry. Drizzle steaks with olive oil and rub all over. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
2. Sear tuna steaks in two batches with plenty of room in your skillet so they do not steam. Cook tuna until it reaches an internal temperature of 145*F.

Arrange Salad

1. Arrange spring mix on a large platter. Pour the rest of your dressing into a small bowl with a serving spoon. Add potatoes, tuna steaks, boiled eggs, and blanched green beans to platter.