When it comes to classic French dishes, there’s nothing better than the carefree vibe of the great Nicoise salad. This Mediterranean main dish salad is colorful, light yet satisfying, and absolutely perfect for summer. Boiled eggs, green beans, olives, tomatoes, and tangy potato salad sit on crunchy lettuce, then they’re smothered a zesty lemon dressing. Eat it al fresco with a glass of wine in hand and you’ll be transported to the South of France!
What is Nicoise salad?
Nicoise salad (Salade Niçoise in French) is a composed French salad served as a main dish, featuring tuna, potatoes, blanched green beans, olives, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, a vinaigrette salad dressing. In French, it means “salad from Nice, France” and it’s a classic dish from the Southern coast. Because it’s packed with protein, it’s filling and incredibly satisfying. How to pronounce Niçoise? Say “sah-LAHD nee-SWAZ.” This salad is one of our absolute favorites for summer entertaining because it’s easy to make ahead and has the perfect laid back, summer vibes. We could eat this every day! It’s ideal for patio meals with a crisp white wine, a spritz, or a French cocktail (maybe a Pastis?).
Ingredients in Nicoise salad
Eating our first Nicoise salad in Paris cemented this French classic in our repertoire. This recipe is an adaptation of Julia Child’s rendition of the French standard. What makes it so impressive is the potatoes: her French potato salad is the base for the potatoes and it’s so delicious you won’t be able to keep from sneaking bites! Here’s what’s in a classic Nicoise salad recipe:
Tips for prep
This Nicoise salad recipe is easy to make, but there are quite a bit of elements to prepare. Luckily, you can make a lot of the components at the same time or ahead of time, and you can prep it all before serving (nothing needs to be done right before serving aside from plating). Here are a few tips for advanced prep:
Make the hard boiled eggs in advance. Eggs are ideal for advanced prep: simply refrigerate until serving. You can also find pre-packaged hard boiled eggs at some grocery stores, which makes this recipe a breeze.Make the dressing in advance. The Nicoise salad dressing is simple to prep ahead; refrigerate and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Blanch the green beans in advance. Blanch the green beans up to 5 days in advance and refrigerate until serving. Make the potato salad in advance. The French potato salad stays good 4 to 5 days if you prep it before hand; refrigerate until serving.
Pick even 1 or 2 of these items to make in advance, and it makes for a much simpler prep the day of. If you decide to make it all in one evening, it’s nice to have a friend or partner to help!
How to serve Nicoise salad
Nicoise salad is the perfect spring salad or summer meal for enjoying al fresco. It screams for a glass of white wine or rosé (or even frozen rosé?), a Lillet spritz, or a Pastis. Serve it with a starter of crostini or a side of crusty bread, and you’ve got patio meal perfection.
Diet variations
Want to make vegetarian nicoise salad? Tuna is traditional for Nicoise salad, but for a vegetarian salad you can omit it and use white beans or tofu. Or, you can simply omit the extra protein: the potatoes and hard boiled eggs make it a filling vegetarian salad. Want to make it vegan? Use seasoned tofu instead of tuna! We recommend Quick Tofu Crumbles.
More dinner salad recipes
There’s nothing better than a great main dish salad in the summer! Here are a few more main dish salads that work for dinner:
Try Vegetarian Cobb Salad Go for fresh Smoked Salmon Salad or Salmon Nicoise SaladGrab a tasty Grilled Shrimp SaladOpt for Falafel Salad
This salad Nicoise recipe is…
Gluten free and pescatarian. 4.5 from 6 reviews
