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France, Europe · Salade Niçoise

Seared Tuna Niçoise with Jammy Eggs and Anchovy-Caper Dressing

Rare-seared fresh tuna, jammy soft-boiled eggs and warm-dressed new potatoes with an anchovy and caper dressing: the restaurant-style Niçoise.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time45 min
DifficultyHard
About servingsThe tuna in this dish is eaten rare. Use only sashimi-grade fish from a trusted supplier, keep it cold throughout and eat it the same day. Pregnant women, young children, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system should cook the tuna through or use canned tuna.

Method

  1. Make the dressing first. Finely chop the shallot and soak it in the lemon juice for 5 minutes to soften its bite. In another bowl, mash the anchovies to a paste with a fork, mix in the mustard, chopped capers, the shallot with its lemon juice and half the pepper, then whisk in the olive oil gradually until emulsified.

    Add in this stepAnchovy fillets 3Shallot ½Lemon ½Dijon mustard 1 tspCapers 2 tspExtra-virgin olive oil 3 tbspBlack pepper, coarsely ground to taste

  2. Put the potatoes in a 18 cm pot of cold water with some of the salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, lower to medium heat and cook for , until a knife tip slides in. Lift them out, halve them and, while hot, toss with 1 tablespoon of the dressing so they absorb it.

    Add in this stepBaby new potatoes 200 gCoarse sea salt to taste

    high heat→medium heat

  3. Drop the green beans into the same boiling water for , then plunge them into iced water to keep them bright and crisp.

    Add in this stepFine green beans 120 g

  4. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, lower in the cold eggs gently with a ladle and cook over medium-high heat for exactly , then chill them in iced water for . The yolks will be jammy. Peel carefully and halve them.

    Add in this stepEggs 2

    medium-high heat

  5. Take the tuna out 15 minutes before cooking, pat it completely dry and season all over with salt and the rest of the pepper. Heat a 24 cm cast-iron or heavy pan over high heat until it just smokes, add the oil and lay the tuna in, away from you. Sear for per side (and a few seconds on the edges): only 2–3 mm should be cooked, the centre still red. Sear in batches if the pan is small, and keep your face back from spitting oil. Rest 2 minutes, then slice 1 cm thick.

    Add in this stepSashimi-grade tuna steak, 2.5 cm thick 200 gVegetable oil (for searing) 1 tbspCoarse sea salt to tasteBlack pepper, coarsely ground to taste

    high heat

  6. Line plates with the lettuce and add the halved cherry tomatoes, lightly salted. Toss the sliced radishes, potatoes and beans with half the remaining dressing and arrange them, then add the eggs, olives and basil. Fan the tuna on top and spoon over the last of the dressing.

    Add in this stepLittle gem or romaine lettuce 60 gCherry tomatoes 160 gRadishes 3Black olives (Niçoise) 12Basil leaves 6Coarse sea salt to taste

Cook's tip

Keep the tuna cold until just before cooking, but dry it thoroughly so it browns instead of steaming grey. Put the eggs into the boiling water straight from the fridge so the timing is exact. If you cannot get sashimi-grade tuna, use good jarred tuna in olive oil instead.

Cooking it at camp

Prepare the dressing, potatoes, beans and eggs at home and pack them in the cooler; at camp, heat a cast-iron pan thoroughly over the burner or coals and only sear the tuna. Keep raw tuna at 0–4 °C and eat it the day you arrive.