A perfect spring salad

Spring is finally here and that means delicious, new-season produce and lighter meals like our recipe of the month, Albacore Salade Niçoise. This month’s recipe uses North west canned albacore, a fast, healthy protein that delivers a huge serve of omega-3s.

As always we’re on the search for new recipes. Email through your favorites to brooke@pacificalbacore.com.

Bon Appetit!

Salade Niçoise
Adapted from Julia's Kitchen Wisdom, by Julia Child.

Ingredients:

1 large head Boston-lettuce leaves, washed and dried
1 pound green beans, cooked and refreshed in ice water
1/2 to 2/3 cup basic vinaigrette
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 or 4 ripe red tomatoes, cut into wedges
3 or 4 potatoes, peeled, sliced, and cooked
Two 3-ounce cans albacore tuna, preferably oil-packed
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
1 freshly opened can of flat anchovy fillets
1/3 cup small black Niçoise-type olives
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Basic Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients:

1/2 Tbsp finely minced shallot or scallion
1/2 Tbsp Dijon-type mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp wine vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup excellent olive oil, or other fine, fresh oil
Freshly ground pepper

Vinaigrette Instructions:

Either shake all the ingredients together in a screw-top jar or mix them individually as follows. Stir the shallots or scallions together with the mustard and salt. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar, and when well blended start whisking in the oil by droplets to form a smooth emulsion. Beat in freshly ground pepper. Correct seasoning with salt, pepper, and/or drops of lemon juice.

Instructions:

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter or in a shallow bowl. Shortly before serving, toss the beans with spoonfuls of vinaigrette, and salt and pepper. Baste the tomatoes with a spoonful of vinaigrette. Place the potatoes in the center of the platter and arrange a mound of beans at either end, with tomatoes and small mounds of tuna. Arrange halves of hard-boiled eggs, sunny side up, and curl an anchovy on top of each. Spoon more vinaigrette over salad; scatter olives and parsley, serve.

Yield: Serves 6