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Salad Nicoise Paris Style. A quick & healthy meal.

By Michelle Marine

on Oct 23, 2013, Updated Oct 27, 2023

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Quick, easy, and healthy Salad Nicoise ~ using planned leftovers and canned tuna and homemade champagne vinaigrette dressing – perfect for hot summer day! This light, healthy salad tastes delicious paired with a crisp glass of white wine and light French bread.

One of the favorite lunches I had this past summer was Salad Nicoise in a little cafe in Paris. My husband and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary there this past August and eating all of the wonderful food was one of my favorite parts of our vacation! The French sure know how to cook.

One healthy lunch I had was a delightful Salad Nicoise.  I was surprised that the salad included rice in addition to the tuna. I knew Salad Nicoise included tuna, but I can’t honestly recall ever putting rice in a fresh salad, and I was surprised to realize that I liked the addition of the rice. When we got back to the States, I vowed to recreate that salad and I have finally accomplished it using Ocean Natural Wild Premium Tuna.

Making this Salad Nicoise ~ Paris Style is very easy. You just need to find the right ingredients!

I used organic bib lettuce, tomatoes and green beans from my garden, a mix of green and Kalamata olives, hard boiled farm fresh eggs, my favorite rice – Jasmine rice from Thailand, Ocean Natural tuna, and a homemade Dijon Vinaigrette dressing. The salad in Paris also had an anchovy on top, which I was surprised to like as well but opted to omit that from my salad – though I think I will add it back in next time I make it. The anchovy just gives the salad a nice zing.

Using the right tuna is important. We eat a lot of tuna around here because it can be a healthy and quick lunch, so I’ve noticed many differences in the different types of tuna I buy. Ocean Naturals Wild Premium Tuna stands out from the others for a few reasons. First of all, it’s nice and firm and it just tastes fresh. It’s not mushy. I hate mushy tuna. I’ve bought my share of mushy tuna and am glad to know Oceans Naturals passes the mush test.

Also very important, Ocean Naturals tuna contains 90 mg of Omega 3 fatty acids per serving – heart healthy fatty acids that our bodies need. It’s very good for you! Finally, Ocean Naturals tuna is responsibly caught – no dolphins are killed because of this tuna – but responsibly caught also means that the company minimizes environmental impact and only harvests tuna from healthy sources with respect for the tuna population. So Ocean Naturals tuna tastes good, it’s good for you, and it uses good for the planet methods to harvest! Good. Good. Good.

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Yield: 2 servings

Salad Nicoise with Champagne Vinaigrette

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A fresh salad nicoise with champagne vinaigrette dressing - perfect for hot summer day! This light, healthy salad tastes delicious paired with a crisp glass of white wine and light French bread.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Salad

• One head bib lettuce. washed
• 1 can good quality tuna, drained
• 2 quartered roma tomatoes
• 2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
• 1/4 cup good quality olives {I like a mix of Kalamata and green olives}
• 1/2 cup cooked rice {I like Jasmine rice}
• 1/2 cup green beans, raw or cooked {whatever you like}

For the Champagne Vinaigrette Dressing

• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup good quality olive oil
• 2 Tbs orange juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

!For the Salad
Hard boil the eggs and cook the rice, if you don't have leftovers.
Wash and dry the lettuce and arrange it on a platter.
Drain the tuna and put it in the middle of the lettuce.
Add the olives, tomatoes, eggs, rice and green beans.

!For the Dressing
Combine all ingredients: vinegar, olive oil, mustard, orange juice, garlic, salt & pepper.
Shake well.
Plate up the salad and add the dressing to taste.

Notes

This salad is so quick to pull together with planned leftovers!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 533Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 206mgSodium: 1471mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 9gSugar: 8gProtein: 25g

Nutritional data varies depending on how much salad dressing you use.

Did you make this recipe?

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