Salads

Tuna Salad Nicoise

4 Servings

6 ounces green beans, preferably French haricots verts
8 tiny red potatoes
1 head bibb lettuce
1 recipe of Pepper-Crusted Tuna Steaks, sliced, or 2 cans (13 ounces) tuna packed in water, drained, and coarsely flaked
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1 tablespoon tiny capers, rinsed and drained
12 grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons Nicoise olives or Kalamata olives
2 hard-boiled eggs
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 lemon, quartered

Trim the ends off the green beans. If they are not the tiny haricots verts, pull the ends back as you remove them to detach any strings. Scrub the potatoes under running water. (I don't peel them, because I like to include the red color.)

Bring a large saucepan with enough salted water to cover to a boil. Add the green beans and cook them until just tender: 2 to 3 minutes for the haricots verts; 5 to 7 minutes for ordinary green beans. Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool and set the color; drain well.

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Separate the lettuce leaves. Rinse them well and dry in a salad spinner or on clean kitchen towels.

Line a wide shallow bowl or a deep platter with the lettuce leaves. Arrange the tuna on one section of the lettuce. Sprinkle the chopped red onion and capers over the tuna. Pile the tomatoes next to the tuna. Then make separate groupings of the green beans and the potatoes. Scatter the olives over the potatoes. Quarter the hard-boiled eggs and arrange them around the edge of the salad.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and sugar until well blended. Garnish the salad with the lemon quarters. Pass the dressing on the side.

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