Salade Niçoise, how we all love this blend of potatoes, green beans, lettuce, tomatoes, anchovies, tuna and…WAIT !!! STOP!!!

Do not EVER tell any self-respecting Niçoise that you like your Salade Niçoise with potatoes, green beans, lettuce, or tuna and anchovies at the same time. This will make you an outcast and possibly consider you a poor, sad excuse for a human being.  Why? Because a true Salade Niçoise includes nothing cooked except an egg, and would never entertain the green bean, the potato, lettuce, or two species of fish at once.

The potato and green bean are  said to have been added by August Escoffier, “king of chefs and chef of kings,” who is from the Var, south of Nice.  As kilometers go, it’s not that far. As culinary traditions go, it might as well be in outer Mongolia and Chef Escoffier  took unacceptable liberties because he simply didn’t know. As for anchovies and tuna, one or the other is allright,  though the salted anchovy is the traditional choice. But never both in the same bowl at the same time.

The Plot Thickens

The Salade Niçoise plot thickens.  There is a club in Nice called Le Cercle de la Capelina d’Or which holds all Niçoise culinary traditions dear.  They would agree with the recipe below, with the possible addition of celery hearts in substitution for the cucumber. Another blog would refuse this, and yet another insists that the actual Salade Niçoise is simply tomatoes, olives, and anchovies.  There are other sources who say other things.  The reason I mention this is because each Niçois cook has his or her own recipe, though everyone agrees that certain ingredients are simply defendu, or forbidden.

It’s high Salade Niçoise season right now, so use the recipe below and you will run no risk of crossing an inhabitant of Nice.  Keep the potatoes, green beans, and the lettuce for another dish, another day.

[ultimate-recipe id=”9516″ template=”default”]