Salad Niçoise is another gift of the Mediterranean that makes its self at home in our similar climate. What are the essentials of a fine Salad Niçoise? Fine, fresh produce including small new potatoes, fresh crisp green beans, perfectly ripened tomatoes, artichoke hearts, capers and of course, olives. What type of olives? In this case, Niçoise, what else? Now, a Salad Niçoise also has tuna. As called for in the recipe listed here, you can use canned chunk tuna, however, sometime you might want to try garnishing the salad with thin slices of lightly seared sashimi grain fresh tuna.
A traditional Salad Niçoise is not a traditional toss salad, but instead is rather architectural, being built layer upon layer as you assemble it. First, you will make a toss salad composed of shredded lettuce, and some of each of the other ingredients, roughly chopped and tossed with some of the dressing. Then, cover a serving dish with crisp lettuce leaves and pile the mixed salad in the center. Next you begin arranging the remaining ingredients around the edge according to your taste and creativity. Finish by scattering capers and a few thinly sliced sweet purple onion rings over the top. And this is a dish worthy of presentation to the most discriminating of guests.
To insure the freshest and most desirable of locally grown ingredients you could not go wrong by visiting a local growers market of which there are many in the greater San Francisco Bay Aria.
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