Nicoise salad, a traditional French meal, is a standard combination of boiled eggs, potatoes, olives, tomatoes, and tuna salad with mustard, served over a bed of soft butterhead lettuce and green vegetables. It’s one of those dishes that leaves you wondering, what isn’t included in this salad!

The beauty of a recipe such as nicoise is that you have plenty of room for creativity. Use creamy white beans instead of potatoes or swap out the cucumber for summer squash. Not an olive lover? Use pickled anything instead!

Ingredients

For the Lemon Mustard Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• ¼ cup lemon juice 
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• salt, to taste
• freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus more for garnish

For the salad:

• 2 cups baby red-skinned potatoes
• 2 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
• 4 - 4 to 6 ounce tuna steaks
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, or peanut)
• 1 butterhead lettuce, such as Boston or bibb, cut into large leaves
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• ½ cup pitted briny olives, such as kalamata
• 2 hard boiled eggs, halved

Directions

1. In a small bowl whisk together the dijon mustard, lemon juice, shallot, and salt and black pepper to taste. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking constantly, until the dressing is thick and emulsified. Stir in the chives and set aside. 
2. Place the potatoes in a small pot or saucepan and add cold water just to cover. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are tender but not mushy, about 15-20 minutes. Drain, cool, and cut each potato in half. 
3. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the tuna steaks. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1½ teaspoons salt, the coriander, chili powder, and black pepper to taste. Mix well, then season the tuna steaks liberally with the spice mixture. 
4. Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tuna steaks, being careful not to crowd the pan, otherwise this will inhibit your perfect sear! Sear the steaks about 1-2 minutes per side for medium rare tuna, or longer if you prefer your tuna steaks to be more cooked.
5. Remove the tuna steaks to a cutting board and slice each into thick slices. Divide the lettuce leaves between serving plates or bowls, then arrange the tuna steak slices, cooked potatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and half of a boiled egg on top of each plate. Drizzle each tuna steak salad with the lemon mustard dressing and garnish with additional chives.