Salmon Niçoise Salad
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This Salmon Niçoise Salad swaps the classic tuna for a pan-seared salmon fillet, then serves it with potatoes, green beans, boiled eggs, olives, and a punchy anchovy-Dijon vinaigrette. Easy to make in advance for lunches or entertaining.
I fell in love with Niçoise salad when I was studying in the south of France at the age of 15. My French host mother packed it for me for lunch, and I can still remember how much I loved opening the container and taking a bite once lunch break started. I tried to reproduce her recipe as closely as possible in my Classic Niçoise Salad recipe. But this Niçoise salad with salmon is an upgrade that I absolutely love.
I’ll share my favorite way to cook salmon so that it has a crisp crust, but is still tender and moist in the center. It pairs beautifully with the rest of the Niçoise salad ingredients. And even better, this Salmon Nicoise recipe lets you cook the potatoes and green beans and make the vinaigrette while the salmon is in the oven.
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Why You'll Love This Salmon Niçoise Salad
- All veggies, no greens means this recipe is great for make-ahead and for leftovers!
- This salmon technique gives you perfectly cooked salmon with a golden crust
- A homemade vinaigrette that’s easy, but is based on French technique
- So beautiful on a platter for entertaining!
Salmon Niçoise Salad Ingredients
- Salmon: I recommend a center-cut fillet, so that it has an even thickness. That will help ensure it cooks evenly. Choose skin-on because it will hold together better when you transfer it off the skillet. Wild-caught salmon is often leaner than farmed, so will cook faster. Make sure to check it early if you are using wild.
- Green Beans: Look for beans that are firm and not soft. French haricots verts are lovely, though they can be very thin and so cook faster than other green beans. In the spring, asparagus makes a great substitute.
- Potatoes: Go for creamy varieties like small red or white potatoes or fingerling potatoes.
- Eggs: Hard-boiled or medium-boiled for this recipe, so the yolk can be as jammy as you like.
- Nicoise Olives: This type of olives can be hard to find, so use Kalamata olives or any dry-cured black olive as a substitute.
Niçoise Salad Dressing Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Use a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, since you can really tell the difference in a vinaigrette like this.
- Anchovies: I use one in the dressing, which adds savory depth but not a fishy taste. Still, you can skip it if you’re not a fan. (And skip adding them to the salad as well.)
- Shallot: The mild onion flavor works well in this dressing, though you can substitute red onion or white onion if you like.
- Champagne Vinegar: Feel free to substitute white wine vinegar. Sherry vinegar has a slightly stronger flavor, but is still delicious.
- Dijon Mustard: In addition to flavor, this helps emulsify the dressing, so don’t leave it out.
- Herbes de Provence: This is a classic French spice blend. Substitute dried thyme if you don’t have it.
How to Make Salmon Niçoise Salad
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Season a 1 ½-pound salmon fillet with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium-sized non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add salmon flesh-side down (skin-side up) to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the flesh side has a nice golden crust.
- Flip the salmon over, and transfer to a baking dish or small sheet pan lined with foil. Put into the oven for 8-10 minutes, until it flakes easily with a fork and reaches 125-130°F for medium-rare. Remove from oven and let it rest until salad is ready to assemble.
- Meanwhile, bring a medium-large saucepan of water to a boil.
- Rinse 8 ounces of green beans, and trim the stems.
- Rinse ¾ pound of small red, white, or fingerling potatoes, scrubbing off any dirt.
- Slice 1 pint of cherry tomatoes in half.
- Peel and slice or quarter 4 hard-boiled eggs.
- Boil potatoes for 10-15 minutes, until tender, then remove with a slotted spoon into a colander. Rinse under cold water. Let potatoes cool slightly, then slice or quarter.
- Add the green beans to the same pot. After 5 minutes, drain in the colander and rinse under cold water.
- While the vegetables are cooking, make the vinaigrette. Chop 1 anchovy into a paste and mince 1 shallot.
- Add the anchovy and shallots to a bowl, then whisk in 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, and ¼ teaspoon Herbes de Provence.
- Slowly whisk in ⅓ cup olive oil until dressing emulsifies. Whisk in ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, taste, and add more seasoning if necessary.
- To assemble the salad, arrange green beans, sliced potatoes, sliced eggs, salmon, cherry tomatoes, 8 anchovies (optional), and ½ cup Nicoise olives each in its own section on a large platter, and have diners help themselves. Or, plate individual servings with a little of each.
- Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve.
Storage Tips
Store each component separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. The cooked salmon will keep 2-3 days in the refrigerator, while the potatoes and green beans will keep for 4-5 days. The hard-boiled eggs will last for about 3 days. The cherry tomatoes will keep for 2 days in the fridge, but will lose some of their flavor once refrigerated.
Store any extra vinaigrette in a jar with a lid in the refrigerator. It will keep for at least a week, if not two. Whisk or shake it up before using.
Salmon Niçoise Salad FAQs
Niçoise salad (Salade Niçoise in French) comes originally from Nice, on the French Riviera. It’s a composed salad, which means that the ingredients are arranged separately on the platter rather than being tossed together in a large salad bowl. The classic version features tuna fish, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and anchovies. Most versions you'll see in the U.S. also add potatoes and green beans. (As did my French host mom, so that’s what I prefer too!)
Yes! Cook the potatoes, green beans, and eggs, and make the dressing up to 3 days ahead. You can also make the salmon in advance, but ideally make it within 2 days of serving it. Keep everything separate in the fridge, then bring it out 20 minutes or so before serving, to remove some of the chill. Arrange the ingredients on your platter and serve.
Either! Warm salmon straight from the oven is lovely, and soaks up some of that delicious vinaigrette. It also is a good contrast to the cold vegetables. That said, it is also delicious chilled, so you can absolutely make it in advance and then add it to your platter.
When salmon is done, it will flake easily with a fork. If you want to use an instant-read thermometer, aim for 125-130°F for a tender, moist center. The USDA recommends cooking salmon to 145°F for food safety precautions, but I think you end up with a tough piece of fish if you cook it to that temperature.
Expert Tips
- If you don’t want to pre-sear the salmon before putting it in the oven, you can also broil it. Bake the salmon as directed in the oven, but then move under the broiler for the last minute or two in order to brown the top. Just make sure you are using a broiler-safe sheet pan that is lined with foil rather than parchment paper.
- Need a foolproof way to hard-boil your eggs? I prefer the Cook’s Illustrated method, which gives you easy-to-peel eggs with no green ring around the yolk. Here’s how you do it: Add eggs to a saucepan, then cover the eggs with about an inch of water. Turn the heat to high and bring to a full boil, then take the pan off the heat, cover, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Move the eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes, then peel. I also love my Dash egg cooker, which makes perfect hard-boiled eggs with barely any effort. Make sure to move cooked eggs into an ice bath either way, because that’s the key to a great hard-boiled egg!
- Pat the salmon fillet dry before seasoning. If you put a damp fillet into your pan, it will steam rather than brown. You can also try different seasonings rather than just salt and pepper. Try lemon pepper or add some thyme or Herbes de Provence.
- Want extra dressing? You can of course double this recipe, or try my Classic Niçoise Salad Dressing for a larger batch and an anchovy-free version.
- If you’re looking for more Niçoise salad variations, salmon is just the beginning. Try using seared tuna steaks or grilled shrimp instead. And, if you’re short on time, swap in cold or hot-smoked salmon for a no-cook smoked Salmon Niçoise salad.
Serving Suggestions for Salmon Niçoise
I love this as a summer lunch option, especially when I’ve made some of the components in advance. But a salad nicoise with salmon is so gorgeous, it really demands to be served to other people. It makes a fantastic brunch, especially paired with a light cocktail like a Rosé Spritzer or a St. Germain Spritz. And because it’s got protein, vegetables, and carbs all in one, it’s really a complete meal. But you could serve it with some crusty bread like a baguette or focaccia or even with a light soup like this Carrot Ginger Soup.
Other French Salad Recipes
Looking for other French-inspired salad recipes? You’re in the right place. Here are a few of my favorites:
If you try this Salmon Niçoise Salad, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
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Instagram Users: Now that you've made this Salmon Nicoise, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I’d love to see your results!
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Salmon Nicoise
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1 shallot
- 2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Herbes de Provence
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 anchovy fillet
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
- 1 ½ pounds salmon fillet center-cut
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces green beans
- ¾ pound small red potatoes or fingerling potatoes
- 4 hard-boiled large eggs
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup niçoise olives
- 8 anchovy fillets (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Season salmon fillet with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a medium-sized non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add salmon flesh-side down (skin-side up) to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the flesh side has a nice golden crust.
- Flip the salmon over, and transfer to a baking dish or small sheet pan lined with foil. Put into the oven for 8-10 minutes, until it flakes easily with a fork and reaches 125-130°F for medium-rare. Remove from oven and let it rest until salad is ready to assemble.
- Meanwhile, bring a medium-large saucepan of water to a boil.
- Rinse green beans, and trim the stems.
- Rinse potatoes, scrubbing off any dirt.
- Slice cherry tomatoes in half.
- Peel and slice or quarter hard-boiled eggs.
- Boil potatoes for 10-15 minutes, until tender, then remove with a slotted spoon into a colander. Rinse under cold water. Let potatoes cool slightly, then slice or quarter.
- Add the green beans to the same pot. After 5 minutes, drain in the colander and rinse under cold water.
- While the vegetables are cooking, make the vinaigrette. Chop anchovy into a paste and mince shallot.
- Add to a bowl, then whisk in champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, and Herbes de Provence.
- Slowly whisk in olive oil until dressing emulsifies. Whisk in salt and pepper, taste, and add more seasoning if necessary.
- To assemble the salad, break the salmon into large chunks. Then arrange green beans, sliced potatoes, sliced eggs, salmon, cherry tomatoes, Nicoise olives, and 8 anchovies (optional) each in their own section on a large platter, and have diners help themselves. Or, plate individual servings with a little of each.
- Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
