The trick to creating a beautiful, delicious nicoise salad is to use fresh seasonal ingredients, make a delicious homemade dressing, and include some fermented or preserved items like tinned tuna, capers, olives, or anchovies.

The reality for me is that I don't always have ALL the ingredients I need in my fridge at one time. This week I had just finished my jar of capers, I was a little tired of cornichons, and my jar of anchovies was looking ancient. But I did have delicious tuna packed in olive oil, free range eggs, and plenty of bright veggies to work with.

The other trick is to plate your items artfully and with intention. Slice your soft boiled eggs in half to show off their vibrant yolks, incorporate different textures, and crack freshly ground black pepper over everything. 

I used these ingredients in my salad
Radicchio leaves
Mixed baby greens
Steamed asparagus
Steamed baby potatoes (fingerling work well too)
Soft boiled egg
Tuna packed in olive oil
Sliced cucumber
Whole basil leaves
Sticks of candy cane beets
Sliced purple radishes
Freshly ground black pepper

Free from peanuts, nuts, dairy, soy, wheat, shellfish

Dressing
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
The juice of half a lemon (about 1 tbsp.)

Make a bed on the base of the bowl using the radicchio leaves and mixed baby greens. Lay the steamed asparagus across the plate, just off center. Then position the potatoes, sliced in half, in a cluster around it. Lay the eggs on the other side of the asparagus, and make a mound of the tuna. Tuck the beets and sliced cucumbers in next to it. Then sprinkle the radishes over everything. Pour the dressing on just before serving.

Serves 1