Nicoise Salad

Chef Wade Burch from Perle on Maple stops by Good Day to make a traditional French summer salad. 
 

Nicoise Salad

1 pound sushi grade tuna steak or 4 medallions sized, 4 oz each
1 pound red-skinned Yukon gold or purple potatoes
Kosher salt
2 Tbsp dry white wine
10 ozs haricots verts or thin green beans, trimmed
4 large eggs, hard-cooked, peeled, sliced
¼ cup white wine vinegar
½ shallot, minced (about 2 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Freshly ground pepper
¾ cup grapeseed oil plus 2 Tbsp additional for searing tuna
8 grape or yellow tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 head Boston lettuce, leaves separated
½ red onion, peeled, halved, julienne
½ red bell pepper, seeded, julienne
1 Tbsp chives, minced
½ cup Nicoise olives, pitted

Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with cold water and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Run under cool water to stop the cooking. Reserve until needed. Slice into even sized coins for each salad.

Meanwhile, bring a separate saucepan of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with salted ice water. Add the haricots verts to the boiling water; cook until crisp-tender and bright green, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to cool; drain and pat dry.

Place the eggs in the reserved saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from the heat and let stand, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, then run under cold water to cool. Peel under cold running water.

Make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, shallot, mustard, thyme, ½ tsp salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in the oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.

Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy sauté pan for 4 minutes at high heat. Lightly rub the tuna with oil on a plate and season well with salt & pepper on all sides. Add 1 Tbsp oil to the hot pan. It will begin to smoke.  Carefully place the seasoned tuna into the pan with tongs and quickly sear for 30 seconds per side and remove to a clean plate to cool until ready to plate. When cooled thinly slice the tuna in to evenly thick pieces for a nice presentation.

Toss the tomatoes in a small bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Add about ¼ cup dressing to the potatoes and toss.

Divide the lettuce among 4 plates. Arrange the potatoes, haricots verts, onions, peppers, hard-cooked eggs and tuna on top. Pour any juices from the tomatoes into the dressing, then add the tomatoes to the plates. Drizzle with the dressing and top with the olives and fresh snipped chives. 

LINK: www.perleonmapledallas.com