Beating the February Blahs with Salad

I don't know about you, but i really get the February blahs, and i have a hard time finding excitement in much these days. I thought one of the ways i might cheer myself up with a nice light and colourful nicoise salad! Lately i think my body is craving protein and sunlight! There is a lot of debate about what actually goes into a nicoise salad, some people think it should be canned tuna, some people add potatoes, but i think in my version i've covered off most of the basic elements, while making it a little fresher with seared tuna.

I picked up a nice piece of sashimi grade tuna at Loblaws. It was quite a large piece which was fine as then i can save some for lunch, i made sure to take it out early so that it would be warmer when i cooked it. Years ago my nana bought me a small Hamilton Beech grill, which is a great way to sear the tuna for the salad. I dressed the tuna with some olive oil and salt and pepper, then added some of the dressing right before i grilled it. I like mine to be pretty rare, but as i was so busy taking pictures i cooked it a little more than i would have liked.

Just before i grilled the tuna, i quickly blanched some green beans, shelled a hard boiled an egg. On a plate i placed some torn boston lettuce (you can also use bib) adding a few very thin pieces of red onion and some ripe black olives. For the dressing i made a vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, lemon juice and shallots which gave it a nice citrus tang. Most people also include boiled potatoes, but i'm not really a fan, so i skipped that ingredient - if you do use them i recommend that you dress the potatoes while they are still warm since it gives them a better flavour. Once the salad was assembled i sliced the tuna and simply put it on top.

This was a nice weekday meal for a dark February evening. I also learned, when taking pictures of things on the grill, carefully wipe you camera lens or your pictures will have a strange soft border, that kinda makes them look like attempts at tacky/artsy photography. See below:



At top of page:

The salad
Searing the tuna
The dressing
Simple ingredients