NICOISE SALAD

NICOISE SALAD

#SIAintheKitchen

There was a time when I was obsessed with nicoise salad. It was immediately after my birthday trip to the south of France back in 2016 for my 27th birthday. It was one hell of a trip where my ex-sugar daddy and I drove near the entire French Riviera from Monaco to Montpellier. We stopped at so many little towns, big and small, along the way. Monaco, Nice, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Cannes, St. Tropez, Aix-en-Provence, Marseilles, Arles, Avignon and ending in Montpellier.

I fell in love with the crashing waves of the Mediterranean Sea, the sea salt-filled ocean breeze, and all of the delicious foods. I especially loved how pungent the foods were in the south of France. I had a bottle of rose everyday - minimum - and consumed my body weight in meats and cheeses. It was one of the best birthdays I’ve had. That is also where I fell in love with nicoise salad.

Now, my version may be slightly different than the traditional. With a traditional nicoise, you’ll often find French string beans, tomatoes, potatoes, a peppery green and a hard-boiled egg. I’ve ready many articles on what is “correct” nicoise and the findings were all over the place. I made my own version of nicoise that featured my favourite ingredients and were reminiscent of the ones I had indulged in during my time spent along the French coast.

NICOISE SALAD - serves 4

• 1 (142g) pkg baby arugula

• 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved or sliced

• 3 red potatoes, diced and boiled in salt water

• 1/4 red onion, sliced thinly

• 1 cup marinated artichokes

• 1 (120g) can tuna, preserved in oil

• 2/3 cup olives, whole

• 1/4 cup capers, drained

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp dijon mustard, creamy

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 tsp herbs de provence

1. Whisk together the olive oil, dijon, kosher salt, black pepper and herbs de provence in a large salad bowl. Add in the arugula and toss together ensuring that each leaf is covered in dressing.

2. Because nicoise is a composed salad, each ingredient will be displayed on top of the bed of arugula. I’d start off by distributing the capers and olives all over the bed of arugula. I’d then carefully place each ingredient on top of the salad in its own compartment, like you would do for a poke bowl. Serve immediately.