This classic tuna Nicoise salad is light, fresh, and colorful, and the perfect dish to make easy spring or summer lunches or brunch.
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“This is a great recipe ….adding the dressing to the still warm potatoes makes such a difference!” ~Sofie, FoodieCrush reader
My Favorite Platter Salad for Entertaining
If I had to choose one parlor trick recipe I like to pull out of my pocket for entertaining, it’s making a platter salad where everyone can serve themselves.
Just like my Italian Platter Salad, Antipasto Salad Platter, and Greek Cobb Salad, this French-style Nicoise salad (pronounced, “nee-swaaz”) is perfect for book club, baby showers, wedding showers, ladies who lunch, or anyone who loves brunch.
That’s because it’s light and fresh, simple to put together or be prepped ahead of serving, and makes for a help-yourself meal for everyone to dig into.
PS. If you’re as Nicoise obsessed as I am, make sure to prepare a batch of Nicoise potato salad or Nicoise pasta salad next!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- Oil-packed tuna lends more flavor to your salad. Skip the standard Starkist and choose a higher quality tinned fish that flakes in big chunks. Ortiz and Tonnino are my two favorite brands.
- Salt your potato water for more flavorful potatoes. To avoid pitting your pot, wait to add the salt until the water boils.
- If making this ahead of time, wait to dress until you’re ready to serve. You can wrap the whole platter tightly with plastic wrap in the morning, then uncover and dress just before serving in the evening.
The Dressing and Salad Fixings
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
The Salad Ingredients
A classic Nicoise salad is made of tuna, tomatoes, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, green beans, Nicoise olives, capers, and onion (red tastes much better in this salad than yellow or white).
Creamy baby potatoes aren’t a traditional ingredient, but many recipes these days have you add them and I’m not one to complain about extra potatoes!
Heidi’s Tip: Can’t find Nicoise olives where you live or don’t like them? Ditto! That’s why I substitute them with my favorite Kalamata olives, which are a little sweetier and fruitier than bitter Nicoise olives.
The Dressing
For a fresh, zippy flavor that ties it all together, I used my favorite Dijon vinaigrette. I swapped the rice vinegar for lemon juice to make this salad. (However, any fresh herb or lemony vinaigrette will work.)
How to Make a Nicoise Salad at Home
- Make the vinaigrette. I like to use a jar to shake together the dressing.
- Boil the potatoes and toss with some of the vinaigrette. You’ll cook the baby potatoes just until fork-tender. Halve them while still warm, place in a bowl, and drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Hot potatoes absorb the dressing, adding another layer of flavor.
- Blanch the green beans in the potato water. To save yourself the time needed to heat up another pot of water, I suggest removing the potatoes from the pot with a slotted spoon or spider strainer. Then, you can reuse the water to blanch the green beans (remove them after about a minute, or once they’ve turned a beautiful bright green!).
- Assemble your tuna Nicoise salad. Arrange the salad fixings on a large platter and drizzle with dressing (or serve on the side to let guests dress their own portions).
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
THE BEST Nicoise Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Lemon Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Nicoise Salad
- 2 cups petite white or red potatoes
- 6 ounces fresh green beans , stems trimmed
- 3 ounces white tuna in olive oil , drained
- 5 ounces kalamata olives , about 1 cup, drained
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 4 ounces capers , about ⅓ heaping cup, drained
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes , about 1 ½ cups, sliced in half
- 4 hard-boiled eggs , halved or quartered
Instructions
- First, make the vinaigrette by adding all of the ingredients to a jar fitted with a lid, close tightly, shake well, and set aside.
- Add the potatoes to a medium pot and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch then bring to a boil. Add 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt, reduce to a rolling simmer, and cook until tender so the potatoes can be pierced with a fork or skewer (about 15 minutes). Use a spider or strainer to transfer the potatoes from the pot, reserving the hot water. Cut the potatoes in half and place in a bowl then while still warm, drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette dressing and set aside to cool.
- Add the green beans to the pot of hot water and simmer for 1 minute or until the green beans turn bright green. Drain the water and set the beans aside to cool.
- On a large platter, arrange the tuna, potatoes, green beans, halved tomatoes, boiled eggs, olives, red onion, capers, and hard-boiled eggs. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette or serve it on the side.
Nutrition
Salad Substitutions and Variations
- Add baby lettuce such as mixed greens, bibb, or even endive if you’d like.
- Try smoked or grilled salmon instead of tuna, or you could even use anchovies.
- Use other types of briny olives.
- Sliced radishes would be a lovely addition.
- Try Nicoise salad with jammy eggs instead of hard-boiled eggs.
- Instead of white potatoes, try using red or purple baby potatoes.
- Top with fresh parsley for more color and freshness, if you like.
What to Serve with a Nicoise Salad
This French tuna salad can be served as a light and fresh appetizer or main dish. Try pairing it with:
- Baked Brie with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts
- Pasta Puttanesca
- Garlic Bread
- French Onion Soup
- Quiche Lorraine
More Stellar Salads Made with Tuna
- Classic Tuna Salad
- Mediterranean Tuna Salad
- French Tuna Salad
- Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Salad
- Ahi Tuna Salad
- Strawberry, Avocado, and Tuna Salad
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El
Heidi – Have you ever used the oil from the tuna to make the dressing? Or do you think that would make it too strong or ‘fishy’ tasting? I’ve made this salad lots of times (popular lunch in the summer – and yes, your recipe!) but never thought about the oil before. Thx – El
I haven’t! I think it would depend on what type of oil is used for the tuna. But I say, give it a taste test and try it if you like it :)
Sofie Newell
This is a great recipe ….adding the dressing to the still warm potatoes makes such a difference!
I’m glad you enjoyed Sophie!
Lancy
I just made this and had it 4 lunch. It was delicious, and it looked great, would def make again. what brand canned tuna do you use? I’d post a picture of how it came out for me if I could.
Hayley
We’re so glad you liked it, Lancy! Ortiz and Tonnino are two favorites!
Elena Goncharova
It’s incomplete. Dressing recipe is better with white wine vinegar, shallots, basil, thyme and tarragon.