Salad Nicoise

A traditional recipe for classic 'Salade Niçoise' with albacore tuna, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, red potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, olives, and capers drizzled with a lemon basil vinaigrette.

Recipe Ingredients:

Lemon Vinaigrette:
1 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad:
1/2 pound small red potatoes, quartered and cooked
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup pitted black olives
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
2 (6-ounce) cans white albacore tuna, drained
1/3 pound young green beans, blanched
1 small head green leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
3 ripe Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon capers
3 to 4 anchovy fillets

Cooking Directions:

1. In small bowl, whisk together ingredients for lemon vinaigrette, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, parsley, olives, onion, tuna, green beans and 3 tablespoons lemon vinaigrette. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
3. Arrange bed of lettuce on plates. Spoon chilled vegetable mixture evenly over lettuce and top decoratively with eggs, tomatoes, capers and anchovies. Drizzle enough dressing over to moisten. Serve, passing remaining dressing separately.

Makes 3 servings.