I hesitated about what to call this Vegan Salade Nicoise, because it deviates rather a lot from the original French version, & you know how people can be about whether something is 'the best or original' version or not. (imagine me rolling my eyes here!)
But then I thought- y'know, recipes change according to who makes them, the ingredients available & personal taste. So although this isn't an authentic recipe, it is still a banging salad that is just perfect to eat on the terrace or seated by the (paddling) pool on a sticky summer's evening.
Even better, is this yummy vegan salad doesn't mind being made ahead of time, in fact a few hours with the ingredients getting to know each other, is definitely a good thing. Which makes it perfect for taking on a picnic, or rather more prosaically, taking for a work lunch in the hope that you might be able to escape outside & sit in the park to eat. It also makes a great accompaniment to a BBQ or cookout- the tangy dressing a perfect foil for burgers and grilled things (veggies in our case!)
I know this is a non-French (and very vegan) version of a French classic, but I will bossily tell you the things that simply must be included to make this Vegan Salade Nicoise truly great.
- Olives- Preferably Black. They provide the extra salty tang (and are very traditional.) Green olives will also do. But don't omit the olives!
- Really Really REALLY good tomatoes - get some of those cherry flavour bombs from the market. Or grow your own!
- Lots of capers & a hit of garlic in the dressing.
- Lemon juice & caper pickling juice - again in the dressing.
- Crunchy fresh french beans. (You could also use sugar snap peas. The point is the green crunch)
There are a few ingredients that I added in to variations on this salad. I've eaten it about 10 times over the last 2 weeks (for research. obvs.)
- Crunchy lettuce is good- I like Little Gem or Romaine as they give extra bite & hold onto the dressing.
- Fluffy tofu puffs you can get at Chinese supermarkets. I added some in one batch of the salad because they needed using up. Oh BOY! They soak up the dressing and are SO yummy!
- Herbs: Some parsley or chives are definitely a good addition if you have some.
Vegan Salade Nicoise
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 500g whole baby or salad potatoes
- 200g fresh green french beans
- 200g very good quality tomatoes either cherry or larger. The important thing is they taste of tomato!
- 50-80g good quality black olives or green olives. You want the juicy real ones from the deli, not the ones from a tin!
- handful herbs: chives or parsley are nice finely chopped.
For the Dressing
- 2 Tbsp capers roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp caper brine the 'juice' that the capers come in
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Juice ½ lemon
- 2 Tbsp Dijion Mustard
- 2 tsp agave, coconut or maple syrup you can use sugar too- just need to make sure it dissolves properly
Instructions
For the Salad
- Boil the baby potatoes until just tender.
- Top & Tail the beans, removing any strings. Add them to the boiling potatoes & cook for around 2 minutes.
- Remove the beans & potatoes from their boiling water & refresh in cold water to stop them cooking. I like to put the beans in some iced water so they retain their snap.
- Chop the tomatoes & olives,
- Arrange everything on a plate, drizzle over the dressing & sprinkle over the herbs.
For the Dressing.
- In a cup, mug or jam jar mix together all the ingredients until they are combined. Taste & adjust (add more oil, a touch more mustard- to your own taste!)
- This recipe makes enough to dress 2 or 3 salads. Simply keep in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.
It isn't Salad Nicoise without TUNA. Of course as vegans - tuna is a "no-no". To really make this salad authentic - use JACKFRUIT as a tuna substitute. Adding jackfruit giv es the salad more body and "oopmh".
Thank you for your feedback on my recipe.
Salad Nicoise traditionally has tuna OR anchovies (and sometimes eggs).
I'm not a huge fan of jackfruit unless it's very well flavoured with a marinade or similar, so instead I chose to substitute the anchovies with capers as I prefer the tang and saltiness.
However if you choose to add in jackfruit, by all means you should do so. That's the great thing about a recipe that's been 'inspired' by another recipe. It can be changed to your personal taste!