Salmon Nicoise Salad
This Salmon Nicoise Salad will transport you to a French corner bistro! This classic french salad includes fresh greens, wild salmon, haricot verts and roasted potatoes, and is tossed in a refreshing lemon vinaigrette!
Nicoise salads are near and dear to my heart. The first one I ever experienced was in Paris, so you can probably see why I have a fondness for it. There’s nothing like sitting at a french bistro outside under an awning and absorbing the atmosphere of that beautiful city.
This salad originated in Nice, France and included anchovies, capers, hard boiled eggs, olives, tomatoes and haricot vert or green beans. The salad has changed over time and now traditionally includes boiled potatoes and tuna, either canned or seared ahi depending on where you go.
If I see a salade nicoise on a menu, it’s a pretty safe bet that I’m going to order it.
This particular version was inspired by the Salmon Nicoise Salad at the Nordstrom Cafe. I tried it years ago and fell in love with it. It has all of the elements of the traditional french version, but it includes a salmon filet instead of tuna.
I’m a huge fan of wild salmon, so I love this version even more than the classic. It appears that I’m not alone because I’ve seen salmon nicoise salads by Jamie Oliver, Barefoot Contessa and Gordon Ramsay as well.
How to make this recipe
There are several elements to this salad as you can see, and in the past I used prepare them all separately. I would bake or grill the salmon, boil the potatoes and green beans, then hard boil the eggs.
Those days are over!
This is the era of the sheet pan dinner after all, and I prefer my potatoes and green beans roasted over boiled any day of the week. I started off by tossing the potatoes in olive oil, dried herbs de provence, and salt and pepper and roasted them on a sheet pan for about 20 minutes.
While the potatoes roasted, I prepared my hard boiled eggs, then tossed the green beans in olive oil and doused my salmon filets with salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil and let them stand at room temperature.
After 20 minutes, I added the salmon and green beans to sheet pan with the potatoes and roasted them for another 15 minutes or so.
While the salmon, potatoes and green beans cooked, I prepped all the other ingredients and made the dressing so that when the sheet pan came out of the oven we could enjoy a warm Salmon Nicoise Salad.
Recipe notes
- I love this salad warm, but it’s amazing cold too. The leftovers (if there are any) make one incredible meal prep lunch.
- The lemon vinaigrette is the perfect finishing touch to this salad. The lemon and dijon mustard compliment all of the ingredients so well and bring it all together, but you can use your favorite store bought dressing as well.
- If you’re not a salmon person, sear a fresh ahi tuna or even use canned tuna instead.
- Prep the ingredients ahead and enjoy for a meal prep lunch or dinner!
More seafood recipes you’ll love:
- Blackened shrimp
- Cioppino by Epicurious
- Lemon dijon baked salmon
- Macadamia crusted mahi mahi
- Pineapple shrimp skewers
- Sheet pan tuna nicoise
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Salmon Nicoise Salad
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 lb. wild salmon filets about 1/2" thick; up to 1.5 lbs. works fine for this recipe
- 8 ounces baby red potatoes halved if small, quartered if larger
- 8 ounces haricot vert or green beans trimmed
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 4 cups mixed spring greens
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup nicoise or Kalamata olives
- Lemon Vinaigrette
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place on one side of a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until almost tender.
- While the potatoes cook, prep the green beans and salmon. Toss the green beans with 1 tablespoon of olive and season with salt and pepper to taste. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, and squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lemon over each filet. Brush each filet with 1/2 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil and let stand at room temperature. When the potatoes are almost tender, add the salmon and green beans to the same baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 10-15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the salmon registers 140 degrees. Cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your salmon.
Assemble the salad:
- Divide the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, olives, hard boiled egg, potatoes, green beans and salmon between (4) plates. Drizzle with the desired amount of dressing, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The salad is delicious served warm but leftovers also make a great meal prep lunch option!
- The hard boiled eggs and lemon vinaigrette may be made up to a few days in advance.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
***This post was originally published in May 2013. The photos and recipe have been updated but the text remains largely the same.
16 Comments on “Salmon Nicoise Salad”
I’ve never tried a Nicoise salad. I saw it once on a menu at an airport, but it was 7 am so I didnt think they’d make it for me (I reallly wanted it though!). Roasting the potatoes instead of boiling them sounds like a major upgrade, I’ll have to try your version out
I hope you get to try it — I think you’ll really enjoy it!
Wow, that looks sensational! Love the switch-up from tuna to salmon. Lovely post Marcie.
Thank you, Anne! I could eat this every day.
For all my love of salads, I’ve never had a nicoise salad before. I think this needs to be remedied! This looks delicious.
As a salad lover, you’ve gotta try the nicoise! It’s a favorite of mine!
I’ve had a salad like this before! It wasn’t at Nordstrom though (my favorite store!), but at a nearby restaurant. I love nicoise salads so much. I’m hooked! I have to try this at home.
I was instantly hooked – so much goodness in one salad! Have a great day, Sally!
I love nicoise salads too and usually order them if I see it on a menu! And I had no idea it originated from Nice, but now that totally makes sense! 🙂 What a gorgeous salads, Marcie! I love salmon in just about anything, so this version with Kalamata olives, potatoes and green beans was made for me. So perfect to enjoy during the summer, too!
Thanks so much Gayle…you sound like you love nicoise salads as much as I do! 🙂
I much rather have salmon on my nicoise salad than tuna- such a great idea! This looks like the perfect nutritious meal. Your pictures are gorgeous too! 🙂
Thanks so much Sarah! 🙂
Main meal salads are great warm weather dishes and this one is so easily prepared on a sheet pan.
Thank you Karen!
That dressing has so much flavor! Homemade is always best!
Thanks Meg and it is always best! 🙂