If there’s one recipe that says fresh, carefree outdoor eating to us, it’s the classic French Nicoise salad. Here’s a fun spin on it that’s, dare we say it, even more delicious than the original. Try salmon Nicoise salad! Swap out the traditional tuna for salmon and you’ve got an impressive dinner that will please anyone. Use smoked or canned salmon to keep it super simple, or use whatever cooking method you like.
Ingredients in salmon Nicoise salad
Nicoise salad (salade Niçoise in French) is a French main dish salad that’s a classic dish from the Southern coast. The hearty salad traditionally features canned tuna, potatoes, blanched green beans, olives, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, a vinaigrette salad dressing. Swap out tuna for salmon and you’ve got salmon Nicoise salad! We like using smoked or canned salmon so you don’t have to worry about cooking it. Here are the components of this classic composed salad:
Types of salmon to use
The main advantage to using smoked or canned salmon in this recipe? It’s so simple. There are lots of other elements to prep here, so going no cook for the salmon is key. Classic Nicoise salad uses canned tuna, so canned salmon is actually even closer to the original. But do you have a big piece of fresh salmon and want to use it? That’s never a bad thing. This is also a great way to use leftover salmon. Here are the different types and cooking methods for salmon you can use here:
Canned: Go for canned salmon, adding a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Smoked: Use hot smoked salmon, purchased or homemade. Grilled: If it’s summer, grilled salmon brings loads of flavor to this salad. Seared: Pan seared salmon is fast and easy. Poached: It’s a unique method, but poached salmon is even easier and more hands off. Baked: Baked salmon is a simple method that works every time. Broiled: We typically prefer broiled salmon to baked since it’s even quicker.
Make ahead tips
There many components to a Salmon Nicoise salad, so while it’s all pretty simple it can take a while to prep. Here are a few ideas for making parts of this recipe in advance. It’s very helpful when it comes to putting together the salad and keeping the kitchen mess under control. Pick one or more of these components to make in advance:
Hard boiled eggs: Make them up to 5 day sin advance and simply refrigerate until serving. You can also find pre-packaged hard boiled eggs at some grocery stores. Dressing: The Nicoise salad dressing is simple to prep ahead; refrigerate and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Green beans: Blanch the green beans up to 5 days in advance and refrigerate until serving. Potato salad: The French potato salad stays good 4 to 5 days if you prep it before hand; refrigerate until serving.
What to serve with salmon Nicoise salad
Salmon Nicoise salad is the perfect meal to eat al fresco as a summer dinner. It also works as a fancy lunch and would be ideal as a brunch, or a meal for a bridal shower or baby shower. It’s ideal paired glass of crisp white or rosé wine and a side of crusty bread or a baguette and butter.
More salmon recipes
Love cooking with everyone’s favorite fish? Here are a few more great salmon recipes to choose from:
Go for a Salmon Caesar Salad or Salmon Salad Sandwich Whip up with Salmon Pasta or Honey Garlic Salmon Try Canned Salmon Recipes or whip up Salmon Sauces Make simple Grilled Salmon, Poached Salmon or Salmon Tacos Try Classic Salmon Burgers, a Salmon Sandwich or Pistachio Crusted Salmon
This salmon Nicoise salad recipe is…
Gluten-free and dairy-free. 5 from 1 review
