Salmon Salad Nicoise - Healthy Seasonal Recipes (2024)

Key Ingredients For This Recipe

• Potatoes: I used small think-skinned baby potatoes.
• Boneless Salmon Filets: Preferably sustainably sourced salmon with the skin removed.
• Pesto: You could either make homemade pesto or get store-bought.
• Salad greens: You could use spinach, mesclun greens or any other green leaf lettuce.
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Other Vegetables: Green beans or haricots verts and radishes
• Olives: I like to use a mix of green and brown kalamata olives but use specific niçoise olives or any pitted olives.
• Dressing: You’ll need one batch of this nicoise caper salad dressing.
• Seasonings: Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt.

Make-ahead and storing instructions:

You can make these pesto salmon salads in advance. The only difference will be that they will be served chilled. The only thing you have to remember is to allow the hot ingredients to cool completely before assembling the salads. This way the greens will not wilt from the heat of the salmon, potatoes or green beans. You can build the salads up to 24 hours in advance. After they are assembled, cover and refrigerate them. Drizzle with the dressing right before serving.

Why you should make Nicoise dressing from scratch:

Making Nicoise dressing with capers and garlic makes a huge impact on the overall flavor of the dish. Capers are a traditional accompaniment to salad nicoise, and the flavor of the garlic really goes well with the veggies.You can also whip up a simple lemon dressing with fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper instead.

How to hard boil eggs:

Here’s how I hard-boil eggs. Place the eggs in the bottom of a small saucepan and cover them with cold water by an inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle boil and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and transfer eggs to an ice bath until they’re cool enough to peel.

UnitsScale

• 6 small thin-skinned potatoes, about 3/4 lb.
• 4 3 to 4-ounce portions sustainably sourced salmon, skin removed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 4 tablespoons pesto, divided
• 8 cups clean salad greens, such as spinach, mesclun greens or green leaf lettuce
• 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 cups green beans, trimmed
• 1/2 cup sliced radishes
• 12 olives
• 1/2 cup nicoise salad dressing
• Freshly ground pepper

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lightly coat foil with cooking spray.
2. Cover potatoes generously with cold water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium (or to maintain a simmer) and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 13 to 15 minutes. Drain and let cool on cutting board.
3. Meanwhile sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt all over salmon. Place the salmon, skinned side down on the foil, and spread 2 tablespoons pesto over them, dividing evenly. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the salmon is just cooked through and flakes apart when tested with a knife, 8 to 12 minutes depending on thickness of the salmon.
4. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a medium saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Steam green beans until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain
5. Cut the potatoes into quarters. Toss with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons pesto in a medium bowl.
6. Divide the greens among 4 large plates. Arrange eggs, radishes, olives, the potatoes, the salmon and the green beans over the greens dividing evenly. Drizzle with dressing and season with pepper.

Cooking Tip:

• You can sub 1 cup shelled edamame for the green beans if you prefer.
• To make hard-boiled eggs, place eggs in the bottom of a small saucepan, cover with cold water by several inches. Bring to a gentle boil over high heat. Boil gently for 10 minutes. Drain, run cool water over the eggs until cool enough to peel.
• To Make this recipe Whole30 compliant, Paleo and dairy free, use this whole30 pesto.