Sometimes we just need a salad, even when it’s the middle of winter. Salads can be satisfying and restorative in the cold weather, especially when layered with protein and sturdy vegetables. For an enticing salad respite, a salade Niçoise comes to mind.
While this Provencal-inspired salad is easily associated with sipping rosé on a sunny terrace on the Cote d'Azur (don’t we wish?), a salade Niçoise is relatively flexible and composed of heartier ingredients for a light and fresh midwinter meal. The salad traditionally comprises a clockwork of ingredients, artfully arranged on a plate or platter. The co-star of the salad is tuna, and while you may sometimes find a piece of rare ahi tuna perched on your plate, I prefer to use jarred high-quality tuna in olive oil. Yep, the fancy stuff, which incidentally can be purchased in advance and stashed in the pantry, ready for an impulsive weeknight dinner.
