Salmon Nicoise Salad
This Salmon Nicoise Salad will transport you to a French bistro! It’s a healthy, satisfying main dish salad that’s packed with crisp greens, wild salmon, hard boiled egg, potatoes, olives and veggies, and it’s tossed in a vibrant lemon vinaigrette!
During the warmer months I crave salads more than ever. I love loading them up with protein, veggies and all the things for a nice satisfying dinner.
My Santa Fe chicken salad and shrimp louie salad fit that description perfectly. They’re both nice and hearty and packed with flavor!
When I want to transport myself to a French bistro, I turn to this Salmon Niçoise Salad.
I experienced my first salad Niçoise in Paris many years ago. It instantly became a favorite of mine, and ever since then if I see it on a menu, I order it.
The classic French version includes canned tuna, but this recipe was inspired by the salmon Niçoise Salad that I enjoyed at the Nordstrom Café many years ago.
I’m a huge fan of salmon, so I love this version even more than the classic. It appears that I’m not alone because I’ve seen salmon Niçoise salad recipes by Jamie Oliver, Barefoot Contessa and Gordon Ramsay as well.
This is proof that sometimes you can beat the classics. 🙂
Be sure to check out my seasonal salad recipes for more inspiration!
- Fall salad recipes
- Spring salad recipes
- Summer salad recipes
- Winter salad recipes
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Salmon Niçoise Salad is classic French salad that’s healthy, satisfying and tossed in a vibrant lemon dressing.
- It’s a good source of protein, healthy fats and it’s dairy and gluten-free.
- Many of the components can be made in advance so it’s great for meal prep.
Salad Niçoise ingredients
This salad Niçoise recipe has all of the components of the classic recipe with a salmon twist.
Ingredient notes:
- Salmon. One pound of salmon is plenty for this recipe as the hard boiled egg also adds protein and makes it very satisfying. The salmon may be substituted with canned salmon or tuna, or seared ahi tuna.
- Potatoes. Baby potatoes in any variety work great in this recipe.
- Egg. Prepare the hard boiled eggs up to a few days in advance.
- Green beans. Fresh green beans or haricot verts are best in this salad, but you could used canned or frozen green beans in a pinch.
- Tomatoes. Use your favorite variety of cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes.
- Olives. Use your favorite variety of olives such as Niçoise, Kalamata, black olives, etc.
- Greens. I love this salad with spring mix lettuce, but you can use your favorite fresh greens.
- Lemon. The salmon is cooked with fresh lemon juice for added flavor.
- Dressing. My lemon vinaigrette recipe makes a great Niçoise salad dressing as it has the tangy flavor of lemon and dijon mustard.
How to make salad Niçoise
There are a few components to this salad Niçoise, but most of them may be prepared in advance.
Instead of boiling the potatoes and green beans and baking the salmon separately, I’ve streamlined the prep by roasting the potatoes, salmon and green beans on the same sheet pan in the oven.
Pro tip: The hard boiled eggs and lemon vinaigrette can be prepared up to a few days in advance, then the salads can be assembled immediately after the salmon, potatoes and green beans come out of the oven.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Prep your ingredients. The hard boiled eggs and lemon vinaigrette may be prepped up to a few days in advance.
- Toss the potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on one side of a large sheet pan in a single layer and roast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until almost tender.
- Toss the green beans with 1 tablespoon of olive oil 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. Slice the remaining 1/2 lemon. Brush the filets with the remaining olive oil and top with the lemon slices. Place on the baking sheet with the potatoes.
- Roast for 10-15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the salmon registers at 140 degrees.
FAQs
Traditional Niçoise salad includes tuna, boiled potatoes, olives, hard boiled egg, haricot vert or green beans and tomatoes. There are many different variations today which feature seared ahi tuna or salmon in place of the canned tuna.
Niçoise comes from the French phrase à la Niçoise, which means “of Nice”, a French city on the Mediterranean coast.
Niçoise dressing includes fresh lemon, dijon mustard, olive oil and oftentimes fresh garlic. It’s fresh, tangy and the perfect way to top salad Niçoise.
How to customize salad Niçoise
There are a number of ways that you can customize salad Niçoise based on your tastes or ingredients that you have on hand.
- The salmon filets may be substituted with seared ahi tuna, or even pantry staples like canned tuna or salmon. Air fryer shrimp or air fryer chicken breast would work as well!
- Swap the green beans with broccoli and the tomatoes with roasted bell peppers.
- Sub the seafood for white beans and omit the egg to make this recipe vegan.
- The olives may be substituted with capers for a nice briny pop of flavor. Be sure to rinse them well and only use about 1/4 cup, which will be divided between the 4 salads.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Prepare the hard boiled eggs and lemon vinaigrette up to a few days in advance to make prep time go even more quickly.
- Substitute the salmon with seared ahi tuna or canned tuna.
- Assemble the salads in meal prep containers without dressing and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More salad recipes you’ll love:
- Asparagus salad
- Butter lettuce salad
- Chicken caesar salad by Foodiecrush
- Chicken Cobb salad
- Fall harvest salad
- Horiatiki
- Salade lyonnaise
- Spring mix salad
- Strawberry fields salad
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
- 2.5 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 8 ounces baby red potatoes or your favorite variety; halved if small, quartered if larger
- 1 lemon
- 1 lb. wild salmon filets about 1/2" thick; up to 1.5 lbs. works fine for this recipe
- 8 ounces haricot vert or green beans trimmed
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 4 cups mixed spring greens
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup Kalamata olives sub with your favorite
- Lemon Vinaigrette
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 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.2.5 tablespoons olive oil
- While the potatoes cook, prep the green beans and salmon. Toss the green beans with 1 tablespoon of olive oil 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 and slice the remaining half lemon. Brush the filets with the remaining olive oil and place the sliced lemon over the top of the filets.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.1 lemon, 1 lb. wild salmon filets, 8 ounces haricot vert or green beans
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!4 hard boiled eggs, 4 cups mixed spring greens, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 1 cup Kalamata olives, Lemon Vinaigrette
Notes
- Pro tip: Prepare the hard boiled eggs and lemon vinaigrette up to a few days in advance to make prep time go even more quickly.
- Substitute the salmon with seared ahi tuna or canned tuna.
- Nutrition information does not include the dressing as that has been calculated in a separate post.
- Assemble the salads in meal prep containers without dressing and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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.
18 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! 🙂
If we cooking on day eating it do we cool everything before assembling. If so how to store the ingredients to cool.
If you are prepping the salmon, potatoes and green beans in advance, they should be cooled. Once cooled, you can store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the salads. You can either warm them up and assemble the salads or add them cold –it’s completely up to you!