This is a Niçoise salad built around smoked salmon instead of tuna — same structure of potatoes, eggs, green beans, olives, and tomatoes, but with a smokier, richer flavor running through it. The whole thing comes together in 35 minutes with a simple lemon-Dijon dressing you whisk in one bowl. It works as a weeknight dinner or something you’d actually want to put in front of guests.
Why this recipe works
Two things make this salad hold together. First, the dressing is emulsified — Dijon mustard acts as the binder between the olive oil and lemon juice, so it actually coats the potatoes and beans instead of pooling at the bottom of the plate. Second, the green beans are blanched and then shocked in ice water, which stops the cooking immediately and keeps them snappy rather than soft. Soft beans next to silky salmon is a texture mismatch that kills the whole dish. Get those two steps right and everything else follows. Dress it at the table — a pre-dressed salad goes limp fast.
Shopping notes
- Smoked salmon: Wild-caught has a firmer texture and less water content than farmed, which means it won’t turn mushy when it sits next to the warm potatoes. Cold-smoked (the silky, raw-style slices) is what this recipe is built for — hot-smoked (flaky, fully cooked) will work but gives a drier result.
- Baby potatoes: Waxy varieties like fingerlings or small Yukon Golds hold their shape after boiling. Starchy potatoes like russets will fall apart when you halve them.
- Kalamata olives: Buy them pitted and packed in brine, not oil. Oil-packed olives can make the dressing greasy and harder to balance.
- Dijon mustard: Standard smooth Dijon, not whole-grain. Whole-grain won’t emulsify as cleanly.
Keeping leftovers crisp
Store the components separately if you can — salmon wrapped in the fridge, potatoes and beans in one container, tomatoes and olives in another. Dressed and combined, the salad is best eaten the same day; the beans soften and the salmon starts to weep moisture onto everything within a few hours. If you’ve already plated it, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to one day, but expect the texture to be noticeably softer. The dressing keeps well in a small jar in the fridge for up to five days — shake before using.
What can go wrong
- Watery dressing that slides off: If you add the olive oil too fast, the emulsion breaks and you get a thin, separated liquid. Add the oil slowly while whisking, or use a small jar and shake hard for 30 seconds.
- Rubbery eggs: Nine minutes gives a fully set but still creamy yolk. If your eggs are straight from the fridge rather than room temperature, add 30 seconds to the cook time. Skip the ice bath and the yolk turns chalky gray-green at the edge.
- Potatoes falling apart on the plate: Overcooked potatoes won’t hold a clean cut. Start checking at 10 minutes — a fork should slide in with light resistance, not zero resistance.
- Salmon overpowering everything: Smoked salmon is salty. Taste the dressing before adding the full amount of salt, and hold back on seasoning the potatoes heavily during boiling. You can always add salt at the table; you can’t take it out.
- Tomatoes making the plate soggy: Cherry tomatoes release juice once cut. Halve them right before plating rather than in advance, and don’t pile them on top of the salmon.
Smoked Salmon Niçoise Salad
Ingredients
Core Ingredients
- 200 grams smoked salmon preferably wild-caught, sliced thinly
- 200 grams baby potatoes halved, preferably small and waxy
- 2 large eggs large and fresh
- 100 grams green beans trimmed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved, preferably organic
- ⅓ cup Kalamata olives pitted
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil high quality
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Begin by boiling the baby potatoes in salted water for 10-12 minutes until fork-tender. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- Simultaneously, bring a second pot of water to a boil, then add eggs and cook for 9 minutes. Transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking and make peeling easier.
- Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes, then immediately plunge into ice water to preserve their vibrant color and crunch.
- Prepare the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
- On each plate, artistically arrange the salmon, halved potatoes, sliced eggs, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and olives. Drizzle with dressing just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Common questions
Can I make this salad ahead of time for a dinner party?
Yes, but prep the components ahead and assemble at the last minute. You can boil the potatoes and eggs, blanch the beans, and mix the dressing up to a day in advance — just keep everything separate in the fridge and plate it right before serving.
Can I use canned tuna instead of smoked salmon?
Yes — that’s actually the classic Niçoise version. Drain it well and pat it dry so it doesn’t water down the dressing. The flavor will be milder and less smoky, but the salad structure is exactly the same.
How much smoked salmon is a realistic serving per person?
The recipe uses 200 grams across 4 servings, which is about 50 grams (roughly 1.75 oz) per person. That’s a reasonable amount when it’s balanced with eggs and potatoes — if you’re serving it as a standalone main and want it more protein-forward, bump it to 75 grams per person.
Do I need two separate pots going at once?
Not necessarily. You can boil the potatoes first, remove them, then use the same pot of water for the eggs, then blanch the beans last. It adds a few minutes to your total time but cuts down on dishes significantly.
Is this salad served warm, room temperature, or cold?
Room temperature is the sweet spot. The potatoes are best slightly warm, the salmon should be fridge-cold, and the beans somewhere in between — that contrast actually works in the dish’s favor. Serving everything ice-cold dulls the dressing’s flavor.