Seared Tuna Niçoise
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp sherry vinegar
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
- 4 oz fresh sushi-grade tuna
- 2 tbsp olive oil (optional to rub on tuna before searing)
- wild greens (speckled lettuce, organic mesculan)
- fingerling & red new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
- green beans, stems trimmed
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Niçoise olives
- radish, sliced thin
- baby carrots, sliced thin
- capers
Optional Salad Ingredients
- anchovy fillets
- fresh chives, chopped (for garnish)
How-to
- To make the dressing, combine all vinaigrette ingredients in squeeze bottle or jar and shake well to incorporate. Set the dressing aside while preparing the salad so the flavors can marry
- Halve the potatoes, place in a large saucepan, add water to cover and a nice pinch of salt; bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer potatoes for 12 minutes, remove and place in an ice bath
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat
- (Optional - rub tuna on all sides with olive oil.) Season tuna with a fair amount of salt and pepper
- Lay the tuna in the hot pan and sear for approximately 45 seconds on each side; as the tuna cooks, the red meat will become whiter. Transfer to a paper towel to absorb some of the fat. Then transfer to a cutting board and slice
Assemble
- To assemble the salad, lightly dress lettuce with vinaigrette and place on serving plate
- Combine the potatoes, green beans, radish,olives and carrots in a large mixing bowl
- Drizzle the vegetables with enough vinaigrette to fully moisten and toss gently to coat; season with salt and pepper. (Take care not to mush up the ingredients - the important thing about salad nicoise is that it is arranged nicely on a platter with all the elements keeping their individual integrity)
- Place vegetables atop the lettuce and then lay slices of the seared tuna attractively across the top. Finish with capers, salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with vinaigrette and serve