The Nicoise salad is a classic example of French cuisine. This Nicoise salad was prepared by Ina Garten using baked salmon, potatoes, tomatoes, haricot verts, watercress, eggs, and a vinaigrette that was exceptionally tasty. You have arrived at the right place if you are going to make this dish for the very first time.
What Is Ina Garten Salad Nicoise
You can witness Ina Garten make this salad nicoise with baked salmon, potatoes, tomatoes, haricots verts, and watercress on the Barefoot Contessa baby shower episode. She begins by mixing up Dijon mustard, olive oil, and a ton of garlic for the salmon marinade (about 2 or 3 tbsp).
The salmon is marinated, then baked for 15 minutes with a brushing of the marinade. Following that, she prepares the salad by cooking the potatoes and haricots verts, slicing them thickly, and mixing them with tomato, hard-boiled eggs, and watercress. The last step is serving.
She grabs a huge, deep plate, arranges the salmon on it, and surrounds it with the vegetables and hard-boiled eggs before pouring the vinaigrette over the whole thing.
How To Bake The Salmon For Salad Nicoise
Salmon for the salad Nicoise should be baked at 500°F or 450°F for roughly 15 to 20 minutes. You can tell if the salmon is properly roasted by inserting a fork at an angle into the thickest part and giving it a little twist.
Once the salmon has been properly roasted, it will no longer appear transparent or uncooked and will break apart easily. A safe cooking temperature for salmon is between 140 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Checking the internal temperature is a must if you are a newbie cook.
How To Store Salad Nicoise
This salad nicoise will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. It’s easy to store salads in the fridge; just wrap them in plastic or transfer them to a glass container. The vinaigrette will keep for at least two weeks if stored in the refrigerator in a glass jar.
Please keep the salad nicoise and the vinaigrette in separate containers. If you want to prepare a big batch of Nicoise salad and save some for later, leave off the vinaigrette. If you do this, the salad will retain its freshness for a longer period of time in the fridge.
Ina Garten Salad Nicoise Ingredients
For The Salad
- 4 lemons, zested and juiced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 pounds skin-on fresh salmon fillets
- 3 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds haricots verts, stems removed
- 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges (6 small tomatoes)
- 12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut in 1/2
- 1 bunch watercress or arugula
- 1/2 pound large green olives, pitted
- 1 can anchovies, optional
For The Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
How To Make Salad Nicoise
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- To make the marinade for the salmon, mix the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, mustard, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, and 1/2 tablespoon pepper in a small bowl and set aside
- Cover the bottom of the baking dish with aluminum foil, then place the salmon in it.
- Grease the marinade over the salmon and make sure to cover all the toppings.
- Leave the salmon aside for about 15 minutes to absorb all the marinade flavor.
- In these moments, place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water.
- Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife.
- Now, drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean and dry kitchen towel.
- Leave the potatoes to steam for about 15 to 20 minutes, until tender but still firm.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them into thick slices (about 1/2 inch) and set them aside.
- Place the salmon in the oven and cook for 12 to 15 minutes at 500°F, or until it is almost cooked through.
- Once the salmon is cooked, remove it from the oven and place it on a plate, allowing it to rest for 15 minutes.
- For serving, you need to remove the skin and break it into large pieces.
- Blanch the haricots verts in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 2 minutes only.
- Drain immediately and immerse them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, then drain them again and set them aside.
- For making the vinaigrette, mix the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, then slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion.
- To serve the salad Nicoise, arrange the salmon in the middle, potatoes, haricots verts, tomatoes, eggs, watercress, olives, and anchovies. I recommend you use a large flat platter.
- Pour some vinaigrette over the fish and vegetables and serve the rest in a pitcher on the side.
What To Serve With Salad Nicoise
Following Ina Garten’s lead, you can accompany a salad Nicoise with sweets, biscuits, and fruit drinks. Salad Nicoise goes well with mozzarella sticks, air-fried French sticks, or fried crabs as an alternative.
Ina Garten Salad Nicoise
Ingredients
For The Salad
- 4 lemons zested and juiced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 pounds skin-on fresh salmon fillets
- 3 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 ½ pounds haricot verts stems removed
- 3 pounds ripe tomatoes cut into wedges (6 small tomatoes)
- 12 hard-cooked eggs peeled and cut in half
- 1 bunch watercress or arugula
- ½ pound large green olives pitted
- 1 can anchovies optional
For The Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup champagne vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup good olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- To make the marinade for the salmon, mix the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, mustard, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, and 1/2 tablespoon pepper in a small bowl and set aside
- Cover the bottom of the baking dish with aluminum foil then place the salmon in it.
- Grease the marinade over the salmon and make sure to cover all the topping of the salmon.
- Leave the salmon aside for about 15 minutes to absorb all the marinade flavor.
- In these moments, place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water.
- Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife.
- Now, drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean and dry kitchen towel.
- Leave the potatoes to steam for about 15 to 20 minutes, until tender buts still firm.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in thick slices (about 1/2 inch) and set them aside.
- Place the salmon in the oven and cook for 12 to 15 minutes at 500°F, or until it is almost cooked through.
- Once the salmon is cooked, remove it from the oven and place it on a plate and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
- For serving you need to remove the skin and break it into large pieces.
- Blanch the haricot verts in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 2 minutes only.
- Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, then drain them again and set aside.
- For making the vinaigrette, mix the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, then slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion.
- To serve the salad Nicoise, arrange the salmon in the middle, potatoes, haricot verts, tomatoes, eggs, watercress, olives, and anchovies, I recommend you to use a large flat platter.
- Pour some vinaigrette over the fish and vegetables and serve the rest in a pitcher on the side.
Notes
- Salmon for the salad Nicoise should be baked at 500°F or 450°F for roughly 15 to 20 minutes. You can tell if the salmon is properly roasted by inserting a fork at an angle into the thickest part and giving it a little twist.
- This salad nicoise will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. It’s easy to store salads in the fridge; just wrap them in plastic or transfer them to a glass container. The vinaigrette will keep for at least two weeks if stored in the refrigerator in a glass jar.
Sarah
Thursday 9th of January 2025
Love everything about this salad, makes a fabulous summer lunch.
Pearl Plavin
Tuesday 25th of January 2022
I love everything "Ina". Would have loved to have seen a picture of the layout of the Salade Nicoise because that is key to the color and textures and choices of the presentation. I served the choices on a long rectangular platter and in strips. Have made this for years and offered croissants alongside.