Tuna Niçoise: A classic Counoise Pairing!
In France, Counoise is grown in the southern Rhone, Languedoc and Provence. In Provence it’s used to make a light red wine like our own in addition to rosé. As they say, what grows together goes together and thus the ideal pairing with this light bodied red wine is Tuna Niçoise, a delicious composed salad hailing from Provence. If you’ve never made one yourself, this is your sign to do so now!
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
6 large eggs
2 lbs fresh, sushi-quality tuna
1 lb. green beans, trimmed
1 lb new potatoes, halved if larger
3 cups seedless cucumbers, sliced
Olives, capers, pepperoncini, pickles, or other pickled-briny ingredients (for serving)
Flaky sea salt
Method:
Step 1
Make dressing. Whisk oil, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and 1 tsp. kosher salt.Step 2
Soft boil eggs. Bring a pot to boil, carefully add eggs and cook for 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and peel once cool.Step 3
Cook veg. Use the same water to cook green beans and potatoes until tender: about 2–4 minutes for green beans, 10–15 minutes for potatoes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water to let cool. Drain and toss with a little dressing.Step 4
Sear tuna. Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the tuna on all sides with olive oil, and a bit of the dressing; season generously with salt and pepper. Place the tuna in the hot pan and sear for about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board and slice.
Step 5
Plate and serve. To serve, slice eggs in half and arrange on a platter with green beans, potatoes, cucumbers and tuna. Top with pickles, capers, olives, etc, sprinkle with flaky salt, and drizzle some reserved dressing over top.