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Seared Ahi Nicoise Salad with Roasted Vegetables
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EasyA Seared and Roasted Take on a French Classic
This salad is a variation on classic French Nicoise Salad. Usually made with canned tuna, I use fresh sashimi-grade ahi and prepare it tataki-style by quick-searing the crust, but keeping the inside uncooked. Instead of boiling the potatoes and steaming the green beans, as traditionally done, I roast them in the oven, saving steps and adding flavor. The result is a healthy salad, loaded with texture and flavor that is more than enough for a full and balanced meal.Weeknight or Entertaining Dish
This dish is equally suitable for a weeknight meal or for entertaining. The beans can be prepped, the lettuce washed, the eggs boiled and the dressing can be made in advance to make preparation of this meal quick and almost effortless.Click to download our free e-cookbook: 15 Recipes To Make You Look Like A Star
PrintNicoise Salad with Seared Ahi
A twist on traditional French Nicoise Salad, this dish uses lightly seared ahi instead of canned tuna and oven-roasted vegetables instead of boiled potatoes and steamed beans. The result is a salad for dinner that is suitable for either a weeknight meal or casual entertaining.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Category: Lunch or Dinner
- Cuisine: French, New American
Ingredients
For the vegetables:
12 ounces peewee or miniature yellow potatoes (or other waxy potatoes)
1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed
2 T olive oil
Fresh ground pepper and kosher salt to taste
For the dressing:
2 T minced shallots
2 t whole grain mustard
2 T red wine vinegar
6 T olive oil
Fresh ground pepper and kosher salt to taste
For the salad:
1 1/4 pound sashimi grade ahi steak, about 1 1/2 to 2″ thick
2 t olive oil
1 head butter lettuce, washed, torn and chilled
1 head frisee (also called baby endive), washed, torn and chilled
1 pint cherry tomatoes
12 olives, Nicoise or other type of olives
1 T capers, drained
2 boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
Instructions
For the vegetables:
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the potatoes out on one baking sheet and the green beans on another. Toss each with 1 T olive oil and season with fresh ground pepper and kosher salt to taste.
- Roast the potatoes for approximately 25 minutes, depending on size. Remove from oven and toss after first 10 minutes. Potatoes are done when they can be easily pierced with a fork and have developed some nice color. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Roast the beans for about 10 minutes, tossing after 5 minutes. Beans are done when they are still firm, but are beginning to color. Remove from oven and set aside.
For the dressing:
- Place the minced shallots in a small bowl. Add the mustard and vinegar and whisk together. Whisk in the olive oil to form an emulsion. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
For the salad:
- Rub the ahi with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Sear 2 minutes on each side, including the top, bottom and sides. The goal is to sear the outer crust of the ahi, but leave the interior pink and raw. Remove from the pan.
- Slice the ahi in thin 1/4″ slices cutting across the grain of the fish.
- Spread the lettuce over a large platter or shallow bowl. Arrange the ahi slices, green beans, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, olives and boiled eggs over the lettuce. Drizzle with dressing and serve.
Notes
If you can’t find peewee potatoes, you can use fingerlings or other miniature potatoes. Alternatively you can chop larger potatoes into 1″ pieces.
Easy and absolutely delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it Kevin. It is one of my personal favorites!
I made this for a ladies’ luncheon. It was such a filling yet light salad and the presentation is five star! Thanks for these great platter salad recipes!
Total crowd pleaser, we were able to prep a lot of the ingredients early in the day of the dinner. This allowed for a more relaxed time for me to do some light duties in the kitchen while still able to socialize with our guests. I found a great Fish Monger in Lakewood CO. Tom’s – the Ahi was very fresh ( flown in) and was simply the best I have had in Colorado. Going the extra for the raw ingredients ( especially the fish) was well worth it. The dressing was my struggle simply because I cut a corner on the quality of Olive Oil and down right gaffed on the Red Wine Vinegar- ran out at the last moment and bought some dressing ( the guests never new) but lesson learned for sure. BTW, served it with the Tomato Confit that Kim makes. Also a crowd pleaser with a relaxed prep ending time.