Food blogger Hannah Sunderani’s The Two Spoons Cookbook features delicious plant-based updates to classic French recipes. Says Sunderani: “This Niçoise is fully loaded with hearty potatoes, seasoned chickpeas, colourful vegetables and crisp lettuce. It is summery, crunchy and full of flavours you would typically find in a salad Niçoise from the South of France – one of my favourite places to visit in France. The freshness of this salad takes me back to the morning markets in the Old Town of Nice, where I used to buy the ingredients to prepare this vibrant salad. We loved to pack it in containers and picnic on the stony beach. Enjoy this salad as a delicious and healthy lunch, dinner or side.”

We answer a few questions about Salad (or Salade) Niçoise

How do you pronounce Salade Niçoise?

The easiest way to pronounce it is “sa·luhd nee·swaaz”.

Where did the Salade Niçoise originate?

Yes, the Salade Niçoise did originate in Nice, in the South of France. The word “Niçoise” is short for à la Niçoise. It’s an adjective which means, in French, that it is “in the style of Nice”.

What are the basic components of a classic Salade Niçoise?

Tuna,
Potatoes
Green beans
Anchovies
Hard-boiled eggs
Olives
Tomatoes

What is the best recipe for Salade Nicoise dressing?

Hannah Sunderani’s, of course.

Chickpea Salade Niçoise

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Ingredients

Lemon Dijon Niçoise Dressing

⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp finely diced shallots
1 clove garlic finely diced
1½ tsp agave syrup
½ tsp white miso paste
½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp dried oregano

Chickpeas

400 mL can chickpeas drained and rinsed (see Tip)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
pinch fine sea salt

Salad

200 g green beans trimmed
200 g baby potatoes colour of choice, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup grape tomatoes halved
1 cup thinly sliced English cucumber
¼ cup pitted mixed Greek olives
½ small red onion thinly sliced
2 tsp chopped fresh chives
¼ cup drained capers
pinch fine sea salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Lemon Dijon Niçoise Dressing

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, shallots, garlic, agave, miso, salt, pepper and oregano. Whisk to combine. Set aside to allow flavours to meld together.

Chickpeas

In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, lemon juice, mustard, oregano and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Salad

Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. When water is boiling, reduce heat to medium-high, add green beans and cook until beans are vivid green and just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out green beans and submerge in ice water. Add potatoes to boiling water and cook until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and rinse under cool running water. Drain green beans. Pat dry green beans and potatoes.
Spread romaine lettuce on a large serving platter. Evenly arrange green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, olives and red onion over romaine. Sprinkle with seasoned chickpeas, chives, capers, salt and pepper. Serve Lemon Dijon Dressing on the side for drizzling. (Alternatively, you can toss all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl with the dressing to taste just before serving.)

Notes

Tip: If you prefer to cook chickpeas from scratch, you will need to soak and cook ½ cup dried chickpeas to get 1½ cups cooked chickpeas (the equivalent of 1 can).

Make ahead: The Lemon Dijon Dressing can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Store in a jar in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and shake before using.