History

Salade nicoise originated as the Nicois fishermen's quick lunch made from the components of the morning market. The Cuisine Nissarde label requires raw vegetables only, no cooked potato or green bean (Escoffier's later version added them) and Nicoise olives instead of black olives. The dish travels well across the city under the same name at Chez Acchiardo, La Petite Maison and Le Safari.

Common allergens: Fish, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
  • 4 hard boiled eggs, quartered
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
  • 200g tuna in olive oil, drained
  • 12 anchovy fillets
  • Handful Nicoise olives
  • Handful basil leaves
  • Olive oil
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Salt the tomato quarters lightly and rest 5 minutes to draw out water.
  2. Arrange the tomatoes, onion, pepper, olives, basil and eggs in a wide shallow bowl.
  3. Drape tuna and anchovies over the top.
  4. Dress at the table with olive oil, a few drops of red wine vinegar and black pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Tip from the editors. Do not add lettuce, cooked potato, cooked green bean or mayonnaise; the canonical Nicois version is built on raw vegetables and the olive oil dressing only.

Where to eat salade nicoise

Salade Nicoise in Nice

Acchiardo ★ 4.6

Niçoise€€Mon-Fri 12:00-14:00, 19:00-22:00

Acchiardo is family nicois room on rue droite since the close of the first world war, four generations and a single lunch sitting under the family name.

Why locals love it: Family Nicois room on Rue Droite since the close of the First World War, four generations and a single lunch sitting under the family name.

Tip: Book by phone several days ahead for the lunch service; closed Saturday and Sunday.

La Petite Maison ★ 4.6

MediterraneanChef Nicole Rubi€€€€€75-120 a la carteMon-Sat 12:00-14:30, 19:30-23:30; Sun closedBook 1 week ahead

La Petite Maison in Nice's Carre d'Or has cooked Nicole Rubi's Mediterranean room since 1999, the home of the Nice school of cooking now exported to London.

Le Safari ★ 4.2

Street foodDaily 12:00-23:00

Le Safari on Cours Saleya offers the canonical Nicois lunch since 1972, the Cuisine Nissarde label and pissaladiere on the terrace facing the daily market.

Try: Pissaladiere terrace plate

Felix ★ 3.9

Brasserie€€Fri-Sat 19:00-23:15; Sun-Thu 19:00-22:45Until 01:30 daily

Felix on Avenue Felix Faure runs continuous brasserie service to 01:30 every night in Nice's Carre d'Or, the city's most reliable kitchen. Family-friendly.

Try: Brasserie classics and Niçoise salad

Order: The salade nicoise after midnight or the brasserie steak with frites.

Tip: Last orders 01:00; the kitchen runs through the whole evening without break service.

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