This Grilled Niçoise Salad is a fun twist on a classic French salad, modernized and seen through the lens of a quintessential American summer, spent around the backyard grill.
Feel Good Vibes
- Great source of high-quality protein from tuna and eggs, helping to build lean muscle.
- Rich in brain-boosting healthy fats from olive oil, egg yolk and tuna.
- Full of gut-healthy fiber and micronutrients from asparagus, spinach, new potatoes, red onion, and olives.
Ingredient Substitutions
- No sherry vinegar? Red wine vinegar.
- No avocado oil? Grapeseed oil or another high quality neutral oil.
- No olive oil? Sub all avocado or neutral oil.
- No asparagus? Hearts of palm.
- No new potatoes? Yukon or russet.
- No red onion? White or yellow onion.
- No tuna? Sub salmon or swordfish.
- No spinach? Mixed greens or arugula.
- No kalamata olives? Black olives if you must.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
- 3 ingredients help a dressing emulsify: garlic, mustard and egg yolk. If you find that you added your oil too fast and your dressing breaks, you can try again by putting a fresh egg yolk in a clean bowl. Slowly drizzle in the broken dressing, a little at a time. You might need to add a little extra vinegar or oil to make up for the extra yolk.
- My jammy egg technique: Start with cold water. Cover the eggs, bring to a boil, cover with a lid and remove from the heat. Set a timer for 8 minutes, then drain the hot water and fill the pot with ice water. Immediately start peeling the eggs, using a thin metal spoon to separate the shell. Return to the ice water to continue cooling until all the eggs are peeled, then store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- To help prevent grill flare-ups, I like to apply just a little bit of oil to my grill grates with a paper towel, as opposed to oiling my meat or vegetables. Once the vegetables come off the grill, I will drizzle some oil and seasoning for flavor.
Serving Suggestions
- Pesto Artichoke Spread with Chickpea Crackers make a great appetizer to pair with the Grilled Niçoise Salad.
- These Chickpea Panisse would taste fantastic served on the side.
- Serve with Cauliflower Alfredo tossed with gluten free fettuccine for a hearty and healthy meal.
Storage and Shelf Life
Make Ahead: All components can be made ahead of time, but wait till just before you serve to dress the salad.
Refrigerate: Salad dressing and cooked tuna will last in the fridge for 36 hours. The rest of the components will last in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: nope!
Final Thoughts
If you’re like me, I have a hard time firing up my charcoal grill for one piece of protein. When I invest in lighting up the grill, I am pulling everything out of the fridge that would taste better with a little smoke on it. No missed opportunities here!
And that’s how almost every ingredient for this Grilled Niçoise Salad ended up on my Big Green Egg one evening recently. My friends loved the salad, so I knew I had to share it with you.
Have you tried this recipe yet? If so, please share your experience in the comments below. I honestly cannot wait to hear from you about this one! And don’t forget to sign up for the Everyday Alchemy newsletter here.
Grilled Niçoise Salad
Special Equipment
- 1 charcoal grill or cast iron grill plate
Ingredients
- For the Dressing:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup sherry vinegar
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- For the Salad:
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 pound new potatoes
- 1 red onion
- 2 4 ounce tuna steaks
- 4 whole eggs large
- 3 ounces baby spinach washed
- 1 cup feta crumbled
- ⅓ cup kalamata olives pitted
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the Dressing: In a small bowl whisk together 1 egg yolk, 1 grated clove of garlic and 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard. Combine it with ⅓ cup of sherry vinegar. Make an emulsified vinaigrette by slowly drizzling in ⅓ cup each of avocado oil and extra virgin olive oil. The dressing should appear creamy and coat the back of a spoon without separating. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
- Prepare the Salad: Lightly coat your clean grill grates with a small amount of avocado oil, about a teaspoon. I put it on a paper towel then rub the top of the grates with the oiled rag. Preheat a charcoal grill to 500˚.
- Place the 4 eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Allow the eggs to cook in the water for 8 minutes, then drain the hot water and cover with ice water. Peel the eggs.
- Prepare the vegetables and tuna steaks for grilling by snapping off the woody ends of 1 bunch of asparagus and cutting 1 pound of new potatoes in quarters or halves (depending on size) and 1 red onion into 1 inch thick chunks. Grill the vegetables until tender, rotating on all sides until slightly charred, about 2 minutes for the asparagus, and 10 minutes for the potatoes and onion. Season with salt and pepper and grill the 4 tuna steaks to medium rare, cooking on both sides for about 2 minutes a side.
- Remove from the grill and place the veggies in a bowl, season with sea salt and black pepper to taste, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Once cool, toss with ½ a cup of the salad dressing to marinate.
- Assemble the Salad: Place 3 ounces of baby spinach on a platter, and garnish with the grilled tuna, asparagus, red onions and potatoes, as well as the 4 eggs, 1 cup crumbled feta and ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives. Drizzle more salad dressing on top, or serve on the side if the salad will be sitting for more than 5 minutes.
Hi, I’m Julia.
I’m a chef and wellness advocate passionate about helping others live well through nourishing food. I trained at the Culinary Institute of America and now work as a personal chef and community food advocate in Atlanta.
Want to know what inspired me to start Everyday Alchemy? Click the link icon below to read more.