Amazing how many versions of this salad on the internet
claim to be the only real, original or authentic recipe.
There is indeed a certified recipe that carries the official
label of the "Cuisine Nissarde".
Henri Cagnoli of the restaurant l'Escalinada à Nice is one
of the fervent promoters of the original.
And what turns out? What we make at home or buy here
as "salade niçoise" does not resemble the original in any
way.
To begin with, there are no cooked ingredients in the
salad, except for the eggs. The addition of potatoes and
green beans was done by Auguste Escoffier, who
apparently came from Provence but not from Nice and
therefore misjudged the local sensitivities surrounding
this dish.
What we usually make of it, doesn't taste bad either, but it
is not ‘the real thing’. Neither is my version, although I
have stayed as close as possible. My "deviations" are: I
chose sweet multicolored peppers, I stewed them lightly
along with sliced garlic and pieces of celery to soften the
strong flavor of the raw vegetables, and I serve the salad
with a vinaigrette of balsamic, oil and mustard. Shame on
me! Nice and fresh and summery, however.
salad niçoise with fresh tuna and anchovy
ingredients - info
fresh tuna
vegetable broth
fresh anchovies in oil
tomatoes
spring onions
radish
celery
basil
multicolored sweet peppers
eggs
black olives
mixed salad
salt
olive oil
red balsamic vinegar
Dijon mustard
Preparation. Peel the sweet peppers and cut them into
brunoise. Skin the tomatoes, empty them and cut the flesh into
strips. Cut the cleaned radishes into thin slices. Clean and cut
the spring onions into rings. Cut about two cloves of garlic into
thin slices. Wash and peel about two celery stalks and cut them
into thin slices. Remove the leaves from a handful of fresh basil
and save a few crowns. De-pit the black olives. Wash the
mixed salad.
Boil a few eggs hard and peel them. Cut them into four pieces.
Drain the anchovies. Poach the fresh tuna fish in vegetable
broth. Divide into pieces. Make a vinaigrette of equal amounts
of mustard, red balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Briefly sauté the
brunoise of peppers, celery, white of spring onions and garlic in
a dry non-stick pan over low heat. Let cool completely.
The assembling. Take chilled plates. Fill them to your liking
and inspiration with a bottom of mixed salad. Dress further with
the radishes, tomato strips, chopped basil, mixture of celery,
peppers, garlic and white of spring onion. Arrange the eggs on
the plates.
In the center of the plate, place a stack of tuna surrounded by a
few anchovy fillets. Finish with the chopped green of the spring
onions and a nice crown of basil. Serve with a carafe of
vinaigrette and a salt shaker.
taste and tradition
the fiery passion
salad niçoise
with fresh tuna
and anchovy
taste and tradition
Amazing how many versions of this salad
on the internet claim to be the only real,
original or authentic recipe.
There is indeed a certified recipe that
carries the official label of the "Cuisine
Nissarde".
Henri Cagnoli of the restaurant
l'Escalinada à Nice is one of the fervent
promoters of the original.
And what turns out? What we make at
home or buy here as "salade niçoise" does
not resemble the original in any way.
To begin with, there are no cooked
ingredients in the salad, except for the
eggs. The addition of potatoes and green
beans was done by Auguste Escoffier, who
apparently came from Provence but not
from Nice and therefore misjudged the
local sensitivities surrounding this dish.
What we usually make of it, doesn't taste
bad either, but it is not ‘the real thing’.
Neither is my version, although I have
stayed as close as possible. My
"deviations" are: I chose sweet
multicolored peppers, I stewed them lightly
along with sliced garlic and pieces of
celery to soften the strong flavor of the raw
vegetables, and I serve the salad with a
vinaigrette of balsamic, oil and mustard.
Shame on me! Nice and fresh and
summery, however.
Preparation. Peel the sweet peppers and cut
them into brunoise. Skin the tomatoes, empty
them and cut the flesh into strips. Cut the
cleaned radishes into thin slices. Clean and cut
the spring onions into rings. Cut about two
cloves of garlic into thin slices. Wash and peel
about two celery stalks and cut them into thin
slices. Remove the leaves from a handful of
fresh basil and save a few crowns. De-pit the
black olives. Wash the mixed salad.
Boil a few eggs hard and peel them. Cut them
into four pieces. Drain the anchovies. Poach
the fresh tuna fish in vegetable broth. Divide
into pieces. Make a vinaigrette of equal
amounts of mustard, red balsamic vinegar and
olive oil. Briefly sauté the brunoise of peppers,
celery, white of spring onions and garlic in a
dry non-stick pan over low heat. Let cool
completely.
The assembling. Take chilled plates. Fill them
to your liking and inspiration with a bottom of
mixed salad. Dress further with the radishes,
tomato strips, chopped basil, mixture of celery,
peppers, garlic and white of spring onion.
Arrange the eggs on the plates.
In the center of the plate, place a stack of tuna
surrounded by a few anchovy fillets. Finish with
the chopped green of the spring onions and a
nice crown of basil. Serve with a carafe of
vinaigrette and a salt shaker.
ingredients - info
fresh tuna
vegetable broth
fresh anchovies in
oil
tomatoes
spring onions
radish
celery
basil
multicolored sweet
peppers
eggs
black olives
mixed salad
salt
olive oil
red balsamic vinegar
Dijon mustard
the fiery passion
