This fresh and satisfying French-inspired tuna Niçoise salad combines crispy roasted potatoes, green beans, tuna, and olives, all tossed in a tangy vinaigrette for an easy, flavorful meal.
If you’re looking for other tuna recipes, don’t miss this classic tuna noodle casserole, a bowl of tuna pasta salad, and the best tuna melt recipe, too!
Wow! Just made this it’s absolutely delicious! It is one one of the best Tuna Nicoise recipe I’ve had…My husband says he wants this again sometime this week. It was such a great meal for this heat wave weather. I used just a small toaster oven to bake the potatoes & green beans. Thank you Blair! Absolute Winner!!
– Kat
Food is so much more than taste or “fuel,” isn’t it? What I love most about cooking is the ability to instantly conjure fond memories, moments in time, or positive associations — simply by stirring together a few ingredients, catching a whiff of a dessert baking in the oven, or even just glancing at an old, stained, handwritten recipe card.
My mom is a wonderful home cook, and made just about every dinner for us at home when we were growing up. There are certain recipes that instantly transport me back to my mom’s kitchen, including her Bolognese, easy apple pie, flank steak, and this tuna Nicoise salad!
Tuna Nicoise Salad is a Hearty Classic
A tuna Nicoise salad is a classic French dish that typically features a combination of tender green beans, boiled or roasted potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and tuna, all arranged over a bed of fresh greens. It’s traditionally dressed with a simple vinaigrette (here, I’ve used our favorite Dijon vinaigrette) and showcases a balance of colorful, briny, savory flavors. Originating from the Mediterranean city of Nice, this salad is both hearty and refreshing, making it an ideal entree for the spring and summer months.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- The tuna fish is the star of the show here. For tuna Nicoise, the best type of canned tuna is solid or chunk tuna packed in extra virgin olive oil, preferably wild-caught. Tuna in olive oil has a richer flavor and more tender texture compared to tuna packed in water, which can be drier and less flavorful. The oil helps the tuna stay moist and adds depth to the salad. Look for high-quality brands that offer yellowfin or albacore tuna for the best taste and texture.
- A salad with so many delicious toppings doesn’t need anything more than the most basic vinaigrette dressing, and this particular Dijon vinaigrette perfectly highlights the variety of flavors in the ingredients. For a shortcut, we love a bottle of the store-bought Brianna’s French vinaigrette.
- To keep prep time minimal, you can purchase hard-boiled eggs to use in this dish. If you’d like to boil your eggs at home, I’ve included those instructions in the recipe card below.
- Niçoise olives are most traditional, but they can be hard to find in American grocery stores. Kalamata olives are a great substitute (or try a blend).
- For the base of your salad, use just about any type of lettuce that you prefer. We like a combination of romaine and butter lettuce, which balances crunch and tenderness while letting the other ingredients shine.
How to Make Tuna Nicoise
While a quick glance at the recipe makes it seem as though there are a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps required to prepare this dish, let me assure you: tuna Nicoise salad is so easy! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Shake or whisk together the vinaigrette. Remember, you can skip this step and use a store-bought French vinaigrette for a shortcut if you like!
- Toss the potatoes and green beans with olive oil and seasoning, then roast them on a sheet pan. The potatoes should be fork tender and the green beans should be crisp-tender.
- Assemble the salads by topping bowls of crisp, fresh greens with the roasted veggies, tuna, tomatoes, eggs, olives, and anchovies. Drizzle the dressing over top of each salad and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately!
Serving Suggestions
Tuna Nicoise salad is pretty complete on its own; however, if you’re looking to round out the meal or serve it as part of a larger spread, here are some great side ideas that complement the French-inspired flavors: an easy baguette bread recipe, herbed no-knead cast iron focaccia, or garlic bread; ratatouille or roasted asparagus; or a cheese board with nuts, fruit, and crackers or bread.
My brother the meat and potato man loved the roasted potatoes and green beans on this salad. This was excellent and easy to prepare. Thank you.
– Lynn
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Tuna Nicoise Salad
Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette Dressing
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 12 ounces baby new potatoes (or other similar small white or yellow potatoes), halved or quartered
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided (plus more to taste)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed
- 6 cups salad greens (such as butter lettuce like Bibb or Boston lettuce, chopped Romaine, or baby arugula)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 large hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- 20 whole pitted olives
- 1 (2 ounce) can flat anchovy fillets, drained and cut into small pieces (optional)
- 2 (4.5 ounce) cans tuna fish packed in olive oil, drained and flaked
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Make the Vinaigrette Dressing
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. While continuing to whisk, gradually stream in the olive oil until all of the ingredients are completely combined. You can also use a jar with a tight-fitting lid to just shake together all of the ingredients. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside.
Roast the Potatoes and Green Beans
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Place the potatoes in a large bowl or zip-top plastic bag. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Toss gently to evenly coat the potatoes. Spread the potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet (reserve the bowl or plastic bag so that you can use it again with the green beans). Roast the potatoes in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring once.
- While the potatoes are in the oven, place the green beans in the large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Toss gently to coat the green beans.
- After the potatoes have been roasting for 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Spread the green beans onto the baking sheet with the potatoes in a single layer.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast the potatoes and green beans for about 10-15 more minutes (stirring halfway through), or until the vegetables are tender. Keep an eye on the potatoes, because very small potatoes will be done in about 20 total minutes, while larger potatoes will need closer to 30 minutes. They should be crispy on the outside and fork-tender on the inside. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Set the potatoes and green beans aside to cool slightly while you assemble the rest of the salad ingredients.
Assemble the Salads
- Divide the lettuce greens evenly among serving bowls or plates. Top each bowl of lettuce with tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives, anchovies (if desired), tuna, roasted potatoes, and green beans. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Use a different dressing on your salad, such as this red wine vinegar salad dressing, balsamic vinaigrette, lemon vinaigrette, or even a store-bought vinaigrette.
- Try boiled potatoes instead of roasted potatoes if you don’t want to turn on your oven. You can also boil the green beans just until crisp-tender, or purchase frozen steam-in-bag green beans that you microwave until tender.
- Use baby red potatoes, fingerlings, or even sweet potatoes for a different flavor and color.
- Swap the canned tuna for grilled or lightly seared fresh tuna steaks.
- Include capers for a tangy, salty bite that pairs well with the olives and tuna.
- To serve just two people, cut all of the ingredients in half.
More Dinner Salad Recipes to Try
Chick Fil A Cobb Salad
28 minutes mins
Big Mac Salad with Special Sauce Dressing
50 minutes mins
Steak Salad
1 hour hr 18 minutes mins
Originally published in March, 2018, this post was updated in June, 2025.
Yummm! I love Niçoise salads – such a simple and delicious classic!
Me too! Can’t beat a classic! 🙂
I wish I could just reach in and grab that bowl from my screen, drooling!
I love this light and fresh meal, Emily! Thank you!
Beautiful pictures! Outstanding! Award worthy! Someone must tell you this. AND about the salad, amazing such a lovely meal can be made with ingredients we have on hand. Great healthy fare . . . Really can’t say enough about the Nicoise salad. Thank you Blair!
Hi, Cathleen! Thank you so much for your kind words! 🙂
Fabulous, what a weblog it is! This webpage gives helpful information to us, keep it up.
tuna nicoise salad : my brother the meat and potato man loved the roasted potatoes an green beans on this salad. this was excellent and easy to prepare. Thank you.
I’m so glad to hear that, Lynn! Thank you!
Wow! Just made this it’s absolutely delicious! It is one one of the best Tuna Nicoise recipe I’ve had. I did add artichokes heart to it. And used quality jar tuna, TonninoTuna Filets and a quality jar of Ortiz Anchovies. You also made the instructions so easy & organize to follow. My husband says he wants this again sometime this week. It was such a great meal for this heat wave weather. I used just a small toaster oven to bake the potatoes & green beans. Thank you Blair! Absolute Winner!!
This makes me so happy to hear, Kat! Thanks for taking the time to come back here and leave a note. Glad that it was a hit! The artichokes are a perfect addition, too!
Blair! It’s Jennie from college — was just looking for a dinner recipe, saw this delicious one, and then your picture. Congrats on this fabulous site and hope you and the fam are well! Will be thinking of you at dinner tonight. X
Hi, Jennie!!!! So good to hear from you, and thank you for leaving me a note! I hope you enjoy the salad! 🙂
Great recipe but get out of here with that 30 minute total time
This article is exactly what I was looking for. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. I appreciate the time you took to explain everything. It helped me fix my issue quickly. Thanks a lot for sharing this!