Spring Niçoise Salad with Salmon
Starring baby potatoes, asparagus, and turnips, all roasted together with salmon, and served on a bed of radicchio, this spring Niçoise salad is just as vibrant and delicious as the classic version.
A Salad to Make You Fall in Love with Spring Produce
As someone who tries to eat seasonally and lives in a cold climate , spring always feels torturous waiting for peak summer produce to arrive. Though the days are getting warmer and longer, the the bounty I am craving is still months away. One of my favorite summer meals is the French Salade Niçoise, in which boiled potatoes, blanched but still crunchy green beans, hard-boiled eggs, juicy tomatoes, and oil-packed tun are topped with a zippy lemon Dijon vinaigrette, ribbons of fresh basil, and a scattering of capers.
Recently I came across Sheela Prakash’s cookbook Salad Seasons and when I saw her spring Niçoise salad, featuring roasted potatoes, asparagus, and radishes on a beg of spring lettuces and served with halibut, I needed to make it immediately. And then I kept making it every week, tweaking the recipe a little each time until I had built my own perfect spring Niçoise salad.
My version of the spring Niçoise features asparagus, baby potatoes, hakurei turnips, all roasted along with salmon and then served on top of bed of thinly sliced radicchio. The radicchio gets slightly wilted and its bitter edge mellowed from the heat of the vegetables and fish. The salad is finished off with a lemon Dijon vinaigrette, buttery Castelvetrano olives, and a handful of freshly snipped chives.
Ingredient Notes
Baby Potatoes. Look for fingerling, new, or creamer potatoes. These tiny potatoes are young potatoes that are harvested early. They are quick cooking and are more flavorful and creamy than standard sized potatoes.
If you can’t find baby potatoes, use red potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces.
Asparagus. A salad celebrating spring produce is not complete without asparagus! When buying green, white, or purple asparagus, look for bunches with uniformly sized stalks to ensure even cooking.
Hakurei Turnips. These salad turnips are, in my opinion, the highlight of all spring vegetables. They are small, smooth, juicy, and oh so tender! They are tender enough that they can be eaten raw, though I can’t resist roasting them in the oven, which gives them a glorious buttery texture.
A bonus of buying hakurei turnips is they are nearly always sold with their beautiful, young greens still attached at the tops. Slice and sauté the turnip greens in olive oil and a little salt as you would spinach.
If you can’t get your hands on hakurei turnips, substitute them with a bunch of red radishes (the original version in Salad Seasons uses red radishes). Clean, cut, and roast the radishes the same as turnips in the recipe.
Salmon. Traditionally made with tuna, this modern twist on the classic Niçoise substitutes tuna with salmon, adding a rich depth of flavor to the dish.
Radicchio. Radicchio is one of my absolute favorite vegetables- it’s mildly bitter, crunchy, gorgeously colored, and add so much more to salads than your standard lettuces. This cold-loving chicory is my go-to in salads all fall, winter, and spring. Avoid in the summer as heat increases its bitterness to make it unedible.
Dijon Mustard, Lemon, and Olive Oil. These form the salad’s vinaigrette. Feel free to add in a minced garlic clove or small shallot to give a bit more texture and depth to the dressing
Castelvetrano Olives. Or substitute capers (or use both if you’re like me and can’t get enough of all things brined!)
Spring Herbs. Chives, dill, tarragon, and flat leaf parsley all make great additions to this salad.
I also love this salad with fresh chervil, a mild-anise flavored herb thats popular in France but impossible to find in Amercian grocery stores. A few years ago I bought chervil seeds so I could grow it myself, and it has grown abundantly each year and readily self-seeds. It thrives in the cold early spring weather, popping up soon after the soil thaws.
How to Make a Spring Niçoise Salad with Salmon
- Make the vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a small jar and shake together until emulsified. Set aside.
- Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place in a shallow bowl. Pour 2 tbsp of vinaigrette on top of salmon; transfer to the refrigerator while the potatoes roast.
- Preheat oven to 425℉ and arrange racks in the top and bottom third of the oven. Place potatoes in mixing bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer potatoes to a large baking sheet and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Add the asparagus and turnips to the same mixing bowl that was used for the potatoes; toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer vegetables to a second large baking sheet and set aside as the potatoes are in the oven.
- After the potatoes have been in the oven for 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet from oven. Stir the potatoes and arrange them all on one side of the pan. Remove the salmon from the fridge and place on the other side of the baking pan. Return sheet pan to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, until the salmon is fully cooked.
- At the same time as the salmon and potatoes cook, transfer the baking sheet with the asparagus and turnips to the oven. Roast until the vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your vegetables.
- To serve: add the thinly sliced radicchio to a large serving bowl. Top with the salmon and cooked vegetables. Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the salad, and top with a scattering of olives and fresh herbs.
Spring Niçoise Salad with Salmon
PRINT PINIngredients
Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
- 1 clove garlic peeled and minced
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp Dijion mustard
- ¼ c extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of salt
Remaining Salad
- 1 lb salmon cut in 2 8-oz portions
- salt and pepper
- 12 oz baby potatoes halved or quartered if large
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch asparagus woody ends removed and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 bunch hakurei turnips (or red radishes) trimmed and if large, cut in half
- 1 head radicchio cored and thinly sliced
- ½ c Castelvetrano olives pitted and chopped
- handful of fresh herbs- chives, chervil, tarragon, dill, parsley, or a mix chopped
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a small jar and shake together until emulsified. Set aside.
- Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place in a shallow bowl. Pour 2 tbsp of vinaigrette on top of salmon; transfer to the refrigerator while the potatoes roast.
- Preheat oven to 425℉ and arrange racks in the top and bottom third of the oven. Place potatoes in mixing bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer potatoes to a large baking sheet and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Add the asparagus and turnips to the same mixing bowl that was used for the potatoes; toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer vegetables to a second large baking sheet and set aside as the potatoes are in the oven.
- After the potatoes have been in the oven for 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet from oven. Stir the potatoes and arrange them all on one side of the pan. Remove the salmon from the fridge and place on the other side of the baking pan. Return sheet pan to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, until the salmon is fully cooked.
- At the same time as the salmon and potatoes cook, transfer the baking sheet with the asparagus and turnips to the oven. Roast until the vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your vegetables.
- To serve: add the thinly sliced radicchio to a large serving bowl. Top with the salmon and cooked vegetables. Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the salad, and top with a scattering of olives and fresh herbs.