These Individual Tuna Niçoise Salads have crisp lettuce topped with tuna, potatoes, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, onions, olives, and a homemade lemon-garlic vinaigrette. It's a fresh and beautiful main-dish salad that's perfect for summer!
Today we're taking a culinary trip to France via this delicious version of Salade Niçoise (sounds like nee-swahz) that comes from the city of Nice.
It's a composed salad where each ingredient is arranged on a large platter. And generally, everyone serves themselves, taking what they want.
And yes, it's certainly impressive served like that. But for me, it's not ideal.
Not only can it quickly get a bit messy with everyone picking around in there, but there's always the chance that too much of something is taken and there's not enough left for everyone else.
My answer? Make individual Niçoise salads instead!
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Why I Love This Recipe (and You Will Too)
- Individual servings means no mess, and everyone gets the same amount of every ingredient. And you can make only as many salads as you need.
- It's a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. The arranged presentation is gorgeous and colorful, and the combination of flavors is outstanding.
- It's a meal all on its own. Protein, potatoes and veggies...they're all there.
- It's easy and elegant, which makes it an excellent choice for entertaining as well as an any-day lunch or dinner.
Ingredients & Notes
Here are all of the ingredients you need to make this recipe, along with notes and tips on some of the items to help you make the best selections.
Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
For the Salad
- Romaine lettuce: I choose romaine because it's crisp and crunchy, but you can use any kind of lettuce you like.
- Small red potatoes: Look for petite or baby potatoes that are about 1½ inches wide. Small golden potatoes can be used as well.
- Hard-boiled eggs: Use your preferred method to make them (my favorites are Steamed Hard-Boiled Eggs or Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs because they peel so easily). Or take a shortcut and buy pre-made hard-boiled eggs at the grocery store.
- Olives: Traditionally, Niçoise olives are used, but they can be hard to find. I do a mixture of kalamata and castelvetrano olives. Use any olives that you like.
- Canned tuna: I use and recommend solid pack light tuna in olive oil because it has a richer flavor and is more moist, but use any tuna that you prefer.
For the Vinaigrette
We're making a half batch of my quick and easy Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette, which is just enough to dress the two salads (be sure to check out that post for more detailed info on this dressing).
- Fresh lemon juice: Freshly-squeezed is a must. Bottled lemon juice won't taste the same.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: It has flavor that you won't get with regular or light olive oil; but you can use either of those if you prefer.
- Fresh thyme and parsley: So important for that bright flavor. Dried herbs won't taste the same.
Substitutions & Variations
- You can use any vinaigrette or dressing that you like, homemade or store-bought.
- Try roasting the potatoes and green beans instead of boiling them.
- Instead of canned tuna, you could cook up a tuna steak and slice it. Canned or freshly cooked salmon is another option, as is cooked shrimp.
- Anchovies are traditional in Niçoise salad, either with or replacing the tuna, but not everyone enjoys them. If you do, feel free to add some.
- Not a fish eater? Use chopped or sliced cooked chicken or steak.
- For a vegetarian version, replace the tuna with white beans or chickpeas (and if you don't eat eggs, leave them out).
How to Make Individual Tuna Nicoise Salads
This is a brief overview of the steps. The full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
Put the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar; shake until well combined.
Cook the potatoes until fork-tender. Remove with a slotted spoon, rinse under cold water, and then put on a plate to cool.
Cook the green beans in the same boiling water. Transfer to an ice water bath to cool, then drain and pat dry.
Cut the potatoes into quarters.
To assemble each salad, place lettuce on a dinner plate.
Arrange the tuna, potatoes, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, red onions, and olives on top of the lettuce. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with the vinaigrette.
Top Tips
- If you need to make hard-boiled eggs, start that first since it will take the longest. Move on to the other steps while they cook and cool.
- To use your time most efficiently, prep the lettuce, tuna, tomatoes, onions, and olives while the potatoes and green beans cook.
- You don't have to completely cool the potatoes. In fact, it's good if they're still a little bit warm when you assemble the salad because they'll soak in the dressing better.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead
This salad is definitely best when made fresh, but you can prepare the dressing and all of the other ingredients ahead of time. I recommend doing this only a few hours in advance so that everything is as fresh as possible when you serve it.
Store each component in a separate container in the refrigerator, and assemble the salads right before serving.
Storage
Ideally, you should only make as many salads as will be eaten in one sitting. Leftover dressed salads don't store well because they will get limp and soggy.
If you do happen to have leftover ingredients, store each in a separate container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Assemble the leftover salad right before serving.
Serving Suggestions
These salads are a light yet satisfying meal all on their own, so you really don't need to prepare any side dishes. But I will say that they're great served with some crusty bread.
And for the adults - if you're so inclined - pair them with a chilled, crisp white wine or rosé. Delish!
I hope you try this Individual Tuna Niçoise Salads recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Main Dish Salads to Try
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went! Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Individual Tuna Niçoise Salads
Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice, about 1 lemon
- ½ tablespoon honey, or to taste
- ½ clove garlic, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ¾ teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
- salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Salad
- ½ pound small red potatoes, about 6 potatoes, each about 1½ inches in diameter
- ¼ pound fresh green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 (5-ounce) can solid pack light tuna in olive oil, drained and broken into chunks (see Note below)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved (see Note below)
- ½ cup halved grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes
- 6 pitted kalamata olives
- 6 pitted castelvetrano olives
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Make the Vinaigrette
- Place all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until well-combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Set aside.Alternately, you can whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Cook the Potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan (I use a 3-quart pot) and cover with cold water by about an inch. Salt the water generously (I use about ½ tablespoon of kosher salt).
- Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.Don't overcook the potatoes; they should be tender but not mushy or falling apart.
- Remove the potatoes from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place in a colander (don't empty the water from the pot because we will be using the same water to cook the green beans). Immediately rinse the potatoes with cold water for about 2 minutes, then place them on a plate and allow them to continue cooling while you cook the beans.You don't have to completely cool the potatoes. In fact, it's good if they're still just a litlle bit warm when you assemble the salad because they'll soak in the dressing better.
Cook the Green Beans
- Add the green beans to the same boiling water that you cooked the potatoes in. Once the water comes back up to a boil, cook them for 3 minutes.Don't overcook the beans. They should still have a nice bit of crunch and a vibrant green color.
- While the beans are cooking, make an ice water bath by putting ice cubes and water in a bowl.
- Immediately remove the beans from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and put them in the ice water bath until completely cooled.
- Remove the beans from the ice water, place them on a plate lined with paper towels, and pat them dry.
Assemble the Salads
- To assemble each salad:Place half of the romaine lettuce on a dinner-sized plate, then arrange half of the remaining salad ingredients on top of the lettuce.I put the tuna in the middle of the plate and then arrange the potatoes, green beans, eggs, tomatoes, olives, and red onions around it. Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle each salad with half of the vinaigrette (if needed, be sure to give it a quick shake to recombine first).
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- To make the most efficient use of your time, prep the other salad ingredients while waiting for the potatoes and beans to cook.
- If you need to make hard-boiled eggs, start making them first since they will take the longest, and you can move on to the other steps while they are cooking and cooling.
- Use whatever method you prefer, or try my Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs, Steamed Hard-Boiled Eggs (they peel so easy both ways!).
- Or you can take a shortcut and buy pre-made hard-boiled eggs from the grocery store.
- You can use any vinaigrette you prefer, homemade or store-bought.
- For the tuna, I use and recommend solid pack light tuna in olive oil because it's more moist and has great flavor than albacore tuna and tuna packed in water. You can use any kind of tuna you like.
- You can easily scale this recipe down or up to make as many salads as you need.
- If you want to use a different vinaigrette, estimated calories for the salad only without the vinaigrette are 365.
Michelle says
If you're looking for an easy but impressive and delicious summer salad, this is one you've got to try!