Salads are a staple of my diet. They’re effortless to make and nourishing. And the more creative you get with the add-ins, the more fun they are to eat. I know from experience – just take a look at my Instagram feed.
Most of the time, my salads are composed of “fridge finds” – leftovers and whatever fruit and vegetables are sitting in the crisper drawer – piled atop a bed of greens. I’ll then sprinkle on nuts, popcorn or tortilla chips for crunch, and a drizzle of store-bought dressing.
On rare occasions, I’m more deliberate in my approach. This Niçoise-inspired salmon salad is a perfect example. I shopped for and prepared each ingredient purposely.
My twist on this Provençale dish features roasted versus raw or boiled tomatoes, potatoes and green beans, and pan-fried salmon versus tuna. The result? A superior salad, in my opinion. But I’ll let you make it and be the judge.
Special thanks to Sizzlefish for providing the sockeye salmon featured in this post.
Dressing recipe adapted from Bon Appétit.
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil, removed from oil
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 lemon
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 eggs
- 6 medium tomatoes, cut in half crosswise
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 small purple potatoes, cut into ¾" pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, divided
- 8 ounces haricots verts
- 2 skin-on salmon fillets (4-6 ounces each)
- 4 cups spring mix
- In a large bowl, combine the anchovies, mustard and sugar; mash with the back of a spoon to form a coarse paste.
- Remove rind from the lemon. Working over the bowl, supreme the lemon and then squeeze the juice from the membranes.
- Add the shallot and olive oil; whisk until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
- Place eggs in a small sauce pan and fill with enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; turn off heat. Cover and let stand for 12 minutes. Transfer eggs to a small bowl and cover with cold water; let cool and peel. Slice eggs in half lengthwise. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place tomatoes on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1½ teaspoons olive oil. Add thyme and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer, cut side down.
- Place the potatoes on a separate baking sheet. Mince one garlic clove and sprinkle over potatoes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
- Bake tomatoes and potatoes at the same time, removing tomatoes from the oven after 20 minutes. Remove potatoes from the oven and stir gently. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until potatoes are caramelized and fork tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the haricots verts on a baking sheet. Slice the remaining two garlic cloves and sprinkle over haricots verts. Drizzle with 1½ teaspoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper. In a large fry pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Add fish, skin side down, and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes. Flip fillets and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer fish to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, peel off skin and discard. Gently break fillets into small chunks.
- Divide and arrange lettuce, eggs, tomatoes, potatoes, haricots verts and salmon among four plates.
- To serve, drizzle with dressing and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
