Salad Nicoise-ish

I took the classic nicoise and modified it to suit everyone in the family. It’s fresh, tasty, filling, and healthy. 

View Instructions

Servings

4

Ready In:

30 min

Calories:

it’s all good!

Good For:

dinner, lunch

About this Recipe

By: Sharyn

Liam likes food with easily identifiable ingredients, so anything blended doesn’t work – no dressings, sauces, stews, etc… Ryan dislikes bland and simple flavours – so a roast is out but a curry is in. It’s not easy to find recipes that please everyone. This dish is a favourite family – it’s simple to make but very tasty. The salad leaves are crunchy, the hot fish and vegetables make this a more satisfying meal, and the taste combination works. Try it!

Ingredients

    • 2 ocean trout tails – skin on
    • 6 baby red potatoes (or kiffler)
    • 1 bunch continental parsley (aka flat leaf parsley)
    • 1/2 small red or white onion – thinly sliced
    • 2 firm tomatoes
    • 1 handful green beans
    • 1 handful bean sprouts
    • squeeze lemon juice

Optional extras:

  • black or green olives (to taste)
  • anchovies
  • boiled eggs (1 per serving)
  • vinaigrette

    The idea here is to make this recipe as simple as possible – I can whip this up on a weeknight in around 30 minutes, and most of that time is spent waiting for the potatoes to steam.  Kiffler potatoes are the best! Great taste and the texture is perfect for salads, but you have to peel them. This is just lazy, but if you use pre-washed waxy potatoes, such as baby reds, you only need to cut them in half and they are ready to cook – and the skins are fine to eat.

    We prefer ocean trout because it is milder in flavour than salmon, but salmon works just as well. Why the tails? because they don’t have bones. If you do buy the fillets be sure to remove the bones before cooking. 

    My secret to using onions in a salad is rinsing them under cold water after cutting with a sharp knife. The sharp knife will reduce bruising of the cells, which results in less of the irritating chemicals being released, and the water washes those released chemicals away. The finished salad won’t have a strong oniony pungency.

    Finally, I dress this salad with just a squeeze of lemon; the combined flavours of the ingredients really don’t need much enhancement. But, if you like stronger flavours, toss in some anchovies and black olives, or use a vinaigrette for a traditional french flavour.

    Step by Step Instructions

    Step 1

    Do the prep jobs first:

    • Start steamer, or put a pot of water on to boil
    • While you’re waiting for water to boil/steamer to heat up prepare your vegetables and salad.
    Step 2

    Toss salad

    • Slice onion in half and then cut each half into thin thin slices, you want the slices thin enough that they form long floppy strands when separated. Rinse onions in a colander while you chop the other vegetables. 
    • Chop leaves off the parsley bunch – I cut off all the leaves but don’t use the stems, as they are quite rigid.
    • Cut tomato into bite sized chunks.
    • Toss all of the salad into a bowl with a handful of bean sprouts (they add to the crunch).
    Step 3

    Steam or boil vegetables and fish

    • Boil or steam potatoes for around 15 minutes, until fork tender but not falling apart.
    • I steam, because imho steamed vegetables have a better texture.
    • Boil or steam beans for around 4 minutes – they should be cooked but still firm.
    • Steam fish skin side down for 4 to 6 minutes (depending upon taste). If you don’t have a steamer, or prefer pan fried fish, then go to Extra Step.  Remember fish “cooks on the plate” – ie. when you take fish from the heat source, the residual heat from the outside layers of flesh will continue to cook the middle, so you should stop cooking your fish before it’s done. 
    Extra Step 

    How to pan fry Salmon or Ocean Trout

    Pat the fish dry with paper towel. Heat a good-sized, heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add enough vegetable oil so that fish wont stick (a couple of teaspoons should be enough), and when oil is hot, place the fish skin-side down in the pan.

    Press the fillet firmly down into the pan to stop the skin from curling up. You want the skin to have 100 per cent contact with the heat of the pan so that it will crisp (up to you whether you eat it or not). 

    The majority of the cooking is done with skin touching the pan. The sides of the fillet will change colour from orange to pink as the fish cooks. When the colour change reaches three-quarters up the side of the fish – about two to three minutes – turn and cook for another 30 seconds. Check that it is cooked how you like by cutting into the bottom (a little bit less cooked is best). 

    Step 4

    Combine ingredients

    • You want all of your hot ingredients to be cooked around the same time. If not, keep hot until ready to serve.
    • Toss potatoes and beans through the salad with a squeeze of lemon juice.
    • If you are adding olives, eggs, anchovies, etc toss them in too.
    • Remove fish skin and arrange fish in chunks on top of the salad.
    • Best served immediately.
    Serve!