Warm Niçoise-style salad with roasted salmon

Air fryer makes this a fast and easy meal!

Salade Niçoise originated in the French city of Nice and in my opinion it is one of the finest salads for a summertime meal. I’ve been making this smoked salmon version and pasta salad version for a long time and still love them both, but recently I was thinking that a warm version for wintertime might be equally delicious. This one is a snap to prepare in an air fryer, as the instructions below explain, but you can easily make it on a sheet pan, adding items to the pan in order from longest to least cooking time. This salad can be enjoyed hot, warm or even at room temperature. To make this easy meal a truly ‘special occasion’ dinner, I think the perfect wine pairing would be Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 from Cambria Estate Winery in California. Named for proprietor Julia Jackson, this elegant wine is sustainably crafted from a single vineyard and offers hints of the coastal terroir balanced with perfect red fruit and spice notes, making it an ideal match for grilled (or air fried) salmon.

Ingredients

Salad:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (50 g) sliced red onion
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) each vinegar and water
• Few pinches salt
• 8 oz (225 g) skinless salmon fillet
• 4 oz (110 g) fresh green beans (about 20)
• 10 oz (285 g) mini potatoes, halved (about 10 small)
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups (150 g) chopped lettuce
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• Handful Kalamata olives

Vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) white wine or rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) water
• 1/2 shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon/15 mL)
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) chopped fresh thyme leaves
• freshly ground kosher salt and pepper
• few dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup (90 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

Method

• Cook the eggs using your method of choice. I like using the air fryer for hard ‘boiled’ eggs – simply preheat air fryer to 250F then add the eggs. For yolks that are firm but not dry, cooking time should be between 13-15 minutes, depending upon your air fryer. Remove eggs after desired amount of cooking time and place in a bowl of ice cubes and water for 2 minutes, then peel and set aside.
• While eggs cook, toss potatoes in a bowl with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of the olive oil plus a little salt and pepper. After eggs are cooked, place potatoes in the air fryer, with the unit set to 375F. Roast potatoes until just beginning to feel tender with the tip of a knife, shaking basket occasionally to turn them (about 11-13 minutes). If making a sheet pan version, place prepared potatoes on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake in a preheated 400F oven for about 20-25 minutes, until just tender but not soft.
• While potatoes cook, pickle the red onion. Warm the vinegar, water and salt in the microwave then stir and pour over onion slices in a small bowl.  Let sit.
• Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the vinegar, water, shallot, mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl with high sides. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified. You can also use an immersion (stick) blender if you prefer. Set aside.
• Season salmon with two teaspoons (10 mL) of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place beside potatoes in air fryer basket (or on top of potatoes if you don’t have enough space in your air fryer) or on the sheet pan beside the potatoes and roast until fish registers 120F in the thickest part. Note that time will vary greatly depending upon thickness of fish so a thermometer is essential to avoid overcooking.
• Toss green beans with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and add to the basket (or sheet pan) beside the salmon. Cook, checking often, until salmon registers 145F in the thickest part and beans and potatoes are tender. If salmon and/or potatoes are done before beans are ready, simply remove them from the basket and continue to cook beans for a few more minutes.
• To serve, line two broad bowls with lettuce. Top each bowl evenly with potatoes, beans and salmon along with tomatoes, olives, drained pickled red onion and halved cooked eggs.
• Drizzle vinaigrette over everything (you may not need it all; save remaining for another day) and serve.

Makes 2 servings; recipe can easily be multiplied.