Seared Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad

Giving the classic salad a twist to create a healthy seared ahi tuna nicoise salad. With perfectly cooked eggs, bursting tomatoes, roasted potatoes, briny olives, and crisp green beans, this dish will keep you satisfied!

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Sushi-grade ahi tuna: Sushi-grade ahi tuna is crucial for this recipe due to its high quality and safety for raw or rare consumption. Its tender, flavorful meat is the star of the dish, providing a rich, meaty taste and a smooth texture. Ensure the fish is suitable for raw or rare consumption.
• Citrus: Add brightness and acidity to the marinade, helping to tenderize the tuna and infuse it with fresh, zesty flavors. The citrus peels also provide aromatic oils that enhance the overall flavor profile.
• White wine vinegar: Adds acidity and tang to the vinaigrette, balancing the richness of the tuna.
• Dijon mustard: Brings a sharp, tangy depth to the vinaigrette and helps emulsify the dressing, giving it a smooth and cohesive texture.
• Balsamic vinegar: Adds a touch of sweetness and complexity to the vinaigrette
• Fingerling potatoes: Fingerling potatoes add a hearty and earthy element to the salad. You can also use small new potatoes or baby red potatoes.
• Kalamata olives: Contribute a briny, salty flavor that contrasts beautifully with the other ingredients in the salad. You can use other types of olives, such as nicoise olives or green olives, if you prefer.
• Capers: Similar to the olives, capers provide a sharp, tangy burst of flavor. If you dislike capers, you can omit them.
• Mesclun greens: The tender young salad leaves are the base for the salad.

Substitutions and variations

• Greens: Feel free to use other greens such as arugula, baby spinach, romaine lettuce, or lacinato kale.
• Protein: If you can't find sushi-grade ahi tuna, you can use other high-quality fish like salmon or yellowfin tuna. Alternatively, cooked shrimp or seared scallops can provide a different but delicious seafood element.
• Other vegetables: Although not found in Nicoise salads, you can incorporate other vegetables such as cucumbers, radish, shaved fennel, or roasted asparagus.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Seared Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: French

Keyword: seafood

Servings: 2

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Tuna marinade

• 8 ounces fresh sushi-grade ahi tuna
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 1 small orange
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

White wine vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• ½ tablespoon dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon white sugar
• 1 garlic minced
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Salad

• ½ cup fingerling potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup green beans
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 5 cups mesclun greens

Instructions

• Peel lemon, lime, and orange. Reserve peels and save fruit for another time. Season tuna with salt and pepper on both sides. Combine with citrus peels, rosemary and olive oil in a Ziploc plastic bag. Marinate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make the dressing. Mix together white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, lemon zest, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and garlic in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut fingerling potatoes in half. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and toss with 1 tablespoon oil. Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Place eggs in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 8 minutes. Drain and place eggs in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Peel eggs and cut in half.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and blanch for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat, drain and immediately shock in an ice bath until cool.
• Remove the tuna from the marinade, discarding the aromatics. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet or cast iron pan over high heat until hot. Sear the tuna for 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove the tuna from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice into ½-inch slices.
• Toss together mesclun greens with the potatoes, egg, green beans, tomatoes, olives, and capers. Divide onto two plates. Top with seared ahi tuna and drizzle vinaigrette on top. Serve immediately.

Notes

Use high quality sushi-grade tuna for the seared ahi tuna.

The white wine vinaigrette as well as all of the components can be prepared ahead of time, making this salad great for meal plan.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Marinate tuna

Nicoise salads are traditionally very lightly seasoned with a simple vinaigrette. This doesn't mean that it can't be flavorful as well!

Let's start incorporating flavor with the main protein, the tuna. Marinate the ahi tuna in herbs and lemon, orange, and lime zest to give it a nice citrus flavor.

This marinade is similar to one that we used to use at the restaurant I worked at, so you know it's a winning dish!

If you want to speed up the process, you can vacuum seal the tuna and let it sit for 4 hours.

Step 2: Prepare remaining ingredients

Meanwhile, prepare the remaining salad ingredients. For the salad dressing, we're making a simple but delicious white wine vinaigrette. The traditional salad uses red wine vinegar, but I love the sweetness from the white wine. Adding balsamic vinegar also amps up the sweetness while adding another layer of flavor.

Slice fingerling potatoes in half and roast them in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until tender. You can also boil the potatoes, but roasting gives them a great crispy exterior.

Test if the potatoes are ready by poking them with a fork. The fork should easily pierce the potato when they are ready; hence the phrase "fork-tender"!

Boil a couple of eggs and blanch green beans until crisp-tender. Halve cherry tomatoes, slice olives, and set aside the capers for the remaining components.

If you're making this Nicoise salad for meal prep, you can prepare all of these ingredients ahead of time and assemble the salads. However, I recommend storing the tuna separately.

Step 3: Cook tuna

Now let's turn our attention back to the tuna. Remove the tuna from the marinade, discarding the citrus peels and rosemary.

Heat a large saute pan and carefully lay the tuna in the pan. When searing the tuna, make sure your pan is hot, and when I mean hot, I mean HOT! You want to create a nice crust on the outside, but still keep a pink interior.

I like my tuna more on the rare side, so I only sear it for one minute on each side. That's why it's important to buy sushi-grade tuna to avoid the risk of bacteria from eating unclean fish.

Remove the fish from the pan as soon as it's done searing. If you let it rest on the pan, it will continue to cook.

Transfer it to a plate and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Step 4: Assemble salads

We've finally come to the finish line! Assemble your seared ahi tuna nicoise salad, portioning the mesclun greens into two plates. Top the greens with roasted potatoes, kalamata olives, heirloom cherry tomatoes, green beans, and a boiled egg. Toss everything in the white wine vinaigrette and dig in!

It's amazing how a simple change, such as adding seared ahi tuna, can make such a huge difference. The tuna adds substance to the dish while still tasting fresh and healthy. Easy on the waist and oh-so-tasty, what more can you ask for?

For a different style of tuna dish, check out this spicy tuna udon noodle recipe!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: All of the components for the salad, excluding the tuna, can be prepared ahead of time. It's best to cook the tuna right before serving since it is raw fish.
• Store: If preparing this salad for meal prep, assemble the salads and store the tuna and salad dressing in a separate container. Hold in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Frequently asked questions

More tuna recipes

Looking for more dishes with tuna? Try these: