On a hot summer’s day, a classic tuna Niçoise salad is hard to beat. This easy version keeps it simple with tinned tuna for a quick and delicious meal.
Ingredients:
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ red onion, thinly sliced
200g/7oz new potatoes, cleaned
100g/3½oz green beans, topped and tailed
2 free-range eggs, room temperature
100g/3½oz tomatoes, roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
100g/3½oz cucumber, roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
50g/2oz olives, stoned and roughly chopped
60g/2¼oz mixed salad leaves
2 x 145–160g tins tuna, drained
Directions:
To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and anchovy fillets with a little salt and pepper then whisk in the oil. Set aside.
To make the salad, place the red onion in a clean small bowl and massage with a little salt. Leave to one side while you prefer the rest of the salad.
Place the potatoes in a small pan of cold salted water. Bring to a simmer and cook until just soft when pierced with a knife. Drain and leave to cool then chop into bite-sized chunks.
Bring another small saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the green beans for 2 minutes. They should still have some bite. Remove and leave flat on a plate to cool.
Meanwhile, bring another pan of water to the boil and carefully lower in the eggs and cook for 7 minutes for soft or 8 for a little firmer yolk. Remove and plunge the eggs straight into a bowl of iced water. Once cool peel and slice in half.
To assemble, place the onion, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, mixed salad leaves, cooled green beans and potatoes in a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and mix well.
