Salade Niçoise

One of my favorite meals to enjoy out on the patio is the niçoise salad. I like it best with a few slices of seared ahi, but grilled salmon is just as great. The warm of the Santa Ana’s of last week left me craving a cold niçoise.

This recipe yields 4 servings:

• Mixed Greens
• 8 oz. Sushi-Grade Ahi Steak
• 4 Roma Tomatoes, quartered
• 4 Red Potatoes
• 20 French Green Beans
• 8 Deviled eggs (4 whole eggs)
• 12 Greek Olives
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp. Chopped Parsley (or 2 tsp. dried parsley)
• Champagne Vinaigrette

Salads are pretty self-explanatory, but here are some tips:

1. Boil red potatoes in lightly salted water until fork tender.  Mash roughly with a dash of salt, pepper and parsley.
2. Wash greens and dry thoroughly. Toss lightly with vinaigrette.
3. Season ahi with salt and white pepper on both sides. Sear on high heat for one minute on each side. Depending on the thickness of the steak, you will have to adjust searing time. Be careful not to cook completely through.
4. Cut Ahi into slices. If using salmon, I lay it whole.
5. Serve immediately after plating.

Note: If you use salmon, be sure to cook it completely through. I’ve had salmon a bit undercooked and suffered scromboid poisoning!

Deviled Eggs

There are many thousands of deviled egg recipes out there. Here’s how I do it, and the way @Padrepablo likes it:

• 8 eggs
• ¼ c. mayonnaise
• 2 Tnsp. Whole-grain mustard
• 1/8 c. Pickle relish
• Salt and white pepper, to taste
• Paprika

The filling is pretty self-explanatory given the list of ingredients, but here’s some egg-boiling tips too:

1. Place eggs in pan until just covered with cold water.
2. Let water come to a gentle boil on medium heat and leave for 15 minutes.
3. After boiling for 15 minutes, transfer eggs to a cold ice bath to cool.
4. When egss are cool enough to the touch, peel and cut in half.
5. Mix cooked yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, relish, salt and peper.
6. Scoop deviled mixture into a plastic sandwich bag and cut a small tip on one corner. Squeeze into egg whites.
7. Sprinkle with paprika for a little kick and color.

I also like to garnish the tops with a little cut chives or parsley… whatever happens to look good in the herb garden.