How to make the one and only salade niçoise
Provençal cuisine is one of the most popular regional cuisines in France. Provence produces wonderful products thanks to its location and favourable climate; products from the land and from the sea. You can also taste Italian and North African influences in the typical dishes of Provence. In his beautiful book Provence, Alex Jackson tells you how to make a real salade niçoise.
Salade niçoise: food for discussion
The proper way to prepare a salade niçoise is a contentious subject. The discussions have never stopped the people of Nice from continuing to make this salad just as it should be. Jacques Médecin, former mayor of Nice and author of an authoritative cookbook about la cuisine Niçoise (the cuisine of Nice), was partly driven to write this book by his experience with the untraditional and downright insulting versions: ‘Around the world,’ he explains in the introduction, ‘I have had the unpleasant experience of being served leftovers that were supposed to pass for a salade niçoise.’
No boiled potato!
Médecin urges us: ‘If you want to be a worthy representative of Niçoise cuisine, then at the very least please never, ever add boiled potato or any other cooked vegetable.’
As heavenly as the South of France in summer
A salade niçoise should be an expression of summer in the South of France: crisp, colourful, vibrant and fresh. Squeaky green beans have no place here, let alone plain potato. And please, avoid raw bell pepper. Feel free to improvise (a little). Tomatoes and cucumber are essential, and I love the crunch of sliced radishes. Artichokes, raw of course, add a delicate luxury, while raw broad beans are delicious when they are small and sweet.
Courgette flowers would not be out of place. I love it when the salad is served with salted anchovies, but some good-quality tinned tuna is delicious too. Go for a good Spanish tuna in olive oil. Jacques says you should never use anchovies and tuna at the same time, but he will not find out if you do.
How to make the real salade niçoise
- Rub the inside of a serving dish with the garlic. Clean the artichokes and slice them lengthwise into thin slices. Slice the cucumber and radishes, but not too thinly. Peel the onion and cut it into the thinnest possible rings. Cut the tomatoes into pieces, wedges or quarters, depending on their size. Do not slice them too thinly, otherwise the salad may become too wet.
- Mix the vegetables in the serving dish. Add the olive oil and red wine vinegar and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Stir in the tuna or anchovies, olives and basil. Taste again. Cut the hard-boiled eggs in half or into quarters, season lightly with salt and black pepper and place them on the salad. Finally, drizzle with a little olive oil if you think the salad needs it.
Title: Provence
Author: Alex Jackson
Price: €25,95
Publisher: Good Cook
Also read:
- Take your salad to Michelin-star level
- Tips for the perfect vinaigrette
- Man flips out on Twitter: why are salads so boring?!?! 9 tips for how to do it right
