Salade Nicoise With Fresh Tuna

This refreshing Southern French speciality incorporates fesh tuna, quail’s eggs and homemade tapenade to create a substantial lunch dish for lazy summer days.

The classic salade nicoise usually includes a good handful of black olives scattered over the finshed dish. These together with the salty tang of anchovies and flakes of tuna can quickly summon up memories of the French Rivieira,a bistro overlooking the Baie des Anges ….and a glass of chilled provencal rosé.

This recipe uses fresh, griddled tuna and the olives have been turned into an unctuous paste or tapenade to serve with a crisp baguette. Serves 6

The tapenade can be made well in advance as it will keep quite happily for a couple of weeks in a refrigerator. With a food processor its very easy to make.

You will need:

125g(4oz) pitted black olives
2 anchovy fillets soaked in milk or water for 5 mins if they have been preserved in salt.(This is unnessesary if the anchovies are in oil.)
1 garlic clove, crushed
60 ml.(4 tbsp) good olive oil
2tbsp roughly chopped parsley

These quantities can be doubled if you wish to make some to store. Spoon the unused portion into a screw-top jar,cover with a little olive oil, close tightly and store for up to a month.

Process all the ingredients (except the oil ) together until smooth. Gradually pour in the oil, keeping the processor running on a low speed. Season to taste, but go easy on the salt as the anchovies and olives can be salty enough on their own. Scoop into a bowl and store in the refrigerator until needed.

On the day you wish to serve the salad assemble the following ingredients:

500 gms fresh tuna
250g French (fine green)beans
300g new potatoes lightly cooked in their skins until a knife point enters the flesh easily
12 quail eggs
18 radishes
12 anchovy fillets

A selection of tomatoes amounting to 300g. There are some new varieties available now, from tiny yellow cherry ones to mysterious-looking beefsteaks which are referred to as tomate noire due to their very dark colour.Good tomatoes are indispensable to a salad, high in vitamin A and C, and a very good source of the cancer-fighting antioxident lypocene ……so don’t stint on them.

A small Cos lettuce and a couple of Little Gem ( or sucrines as they are called in France)
Half a dozen chive stalks, or more if you grow your own
Some good olive oil
Garlic mayonnaise
Lemon wedges

First cook the quail eggs by placing in a pan of cold water and bringing to the boil. This will be sufficient to cook them so remove from the heat and cool in cold water. They can be peeled or left, as they are so attractive, for your guest to peel themselves.

Trim the beans if neccessary and blanch in boiling water for about a minute. Cool quickly in iced water to retain their greeness.

Trim the radishes, wash and soak in the same iced water as the beans are in.

Wash and cut the tomatoes. If using vine cherry tomatoes you may like to cut the vine into small sprigs, allowing 3 or 4 tomatoes for eash person.

Preheat a cast iron griddle. Brush the tuna fillet with seasoned olive oil and cook for a few minute on either side. Timing is difficult, as it will depend on the thickness of the fillet , and how rare you and your guest like your tuna. A metal skewer inserted into the thickest part should feel warm when removed for medium rareness. Set aside to cool.

Wash the salad leaves. Dry well, and throw into a large salad bowl. Add the chives and toss together.

Drain the radishes and beans, and slice the cooked potatoes. Toss all together with a little olive oil.

When you are ready to serve drizzle a little olive oil over the bowl of lettuce and chives, sprinkle on some fine sea salt and two or three grind of black pepper. Gently turn the salad over with well washed hands….there really is no other way…..sald server just don’t do it as well.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on 6 chilled salad plates. Spoon some of the radishes, beans and potatoes onto each plate.Scatter the tomatoes over as well. Flake the griddled tuna and divide between the 6 plates of salad.Place a spoonful of tapenade in the centre of each plate and arrange 2 anchovy fillets crossways on top.Balance two eggs on the side of each plate and it’s ready for serving, preferably outside, on a well laid table in the shade of a leafy tree. Don’t forget a bowl of garlic mayo * and lots of crispy, crunchy bread. Oh, and a bottle of something chilled and pink……a Provencal or Anjour rosé will do very nicely

*For the garlic mayo :

Place 3 or 4 garlic cloves in a small frying pan. Drizzle with olive oil, cover with a tight fitting lid or double layer of tin foil and cook very gently over a low heat for a few minutes until soft. Leave to cool, then crush to a paste with a broad bladed knife. Stir into home-made, or shop bought mayonnaise .

Bon Appetit !