Chopped Niçoise Salad with Seared Albacore Tuna, Frisée, Olives, Green Beans, Hard Boiled Egg, Roasted Peppers and Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the Fish

3 pounds fillet, line caught-wild pacific salmon, skin on

*the meat on this fish is leaner and more flavorful. Farmed salmon tends to be fatty and bright pink due to the feed.

2 tablespoons fresh cracked pepper

For the Salad

1 basket cherry tomatoes *throughout the summer you’ll see many different varieties.

Juice of ½ lemon

¼ medium red onion, chopped

1 cup pitted olives (Niçoise)

1 pound blue lake or haricot vert green beans, cleaned and stemmed

5 eggs, at room temperature

2 bunches frisée

1 bunch red leaf lettuce

2 to 3 pounds small creamer or red potatoes

For the Dressing

1 tablespoon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

2 shallots, peeled and minced

¼ cup sherry vinegar

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Special Tools

Fish spatula

Non-stick skillet

Whisk

Stainless steel bowl

Instructions

For the Salad

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, place in a bowl and dress with olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped red onions. Blanch green beans in boiling salted water for 5 minutes; or until tender. Remove from pot and place them into a bowl of ice water – this will stop them from cooking further. Cook eggs in simmering water for 5 minutes. Remove from pot and place in a bowl of ice water. Toss potatoes (whole if small, cut in half in large) in olive oil, fresh herbs and salt, and roast in a 400° oven for about 30 minutes.

Stem the frisée and clean and chop the lettuce.

For the Dressing

In a stainless bowl add the mustard, shallots, honey and vinegar. Whisk together and slowly drip the olive oil into the mixture until it starts to combine. *very important to add oil very very slowly until the emulsion takes. Hint: you never want to add more oil than there is mustard mixture in the bowl. If it becomes too thick, then add a little cold water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Fish

Cut the fish into 3 to 4 ounce portions. Place a non-stick pan on medium high heat and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. When the oil starts to shimmer add the salmon portions skin side down. Shake the pan a bit to make sure the fish isn’t sticking, and turn down the heat a smidge. Let the fish cook for about 4 minutes or until skin starts to get crispy. Flip the fish and cook for another 3 minutes. Take out of pan and place the fillet directly on top of the salad.

To serve

Toss the greens with enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves. Season the greens with salt and pepper. In the center of a plate or shallow bowl place the greens first then artfully add the various vegetables, the olives and sliced eggs. Place fish right on top and serve. This goes well with some fresh grilled bread!