The Niçoise Twist Gordon Ramsay Puts On Tuna Salad

The term Niçoise refers to food made in the style of Nice, France, and the Niçoise salad is a classic example. Garlic, anchovies, tomatoes, and black olives are hallmarks of Niçoise cuisine, and the titular salad also usually includes tuna, potatoes, green beans, and hard-boiled eggs. However, Gordon Ramsay decided to buck tradition and create a snack-style take on the iconic dish.

In an exclusive interview with Tasting Table, Ramsay described his own Niçoise-inspired tuna salad, which he'd serve as individual canapes on Triscuit crackers. "First of all, get some ahi tuna and lightly sear it. From there, I would get a beautiful quail egg [and] lightly poach them," Ramsay said. "I'd have this amazing, beautiful, fresh tapenade spread over that wholesomely delicious Triscuit biscuit, topped with a slice of seared tuna, and then a tiny little slice of French green bean salad with a quail egg that is runny in the middle."

With tiny poached quail eggs standing in for hard-boiled chicken eggs, Ramsay's take gives the snack rich and creamy texture while keeping it a one- or two-biter. Meanwhile, the green bean salad and fresh tapenade elevate the flavor while still utilizing the traditional ingredients of the famed salad. Plus, fresh and meaty ahi tuna is definitely an upscale twist on classic canned fish.

Besides fitting well on top of a tuna-topped cracker, quail eggs come across as more rich than chicken eggs thanks to the greater quantity of the yolk in relation to the whites. Plus, poaching the egg instead of boiling makes for an extra pretty presentation. But how exactly would you go about it, to avoid messing up this hard-to-find ingredient?

Luckily, the process of poaching quail eggs is similar to the method for poaching chicken eggs. Simmer some water before stirring it with a spoon to create a vortex, and carefully add the cracked eggs to the water. Cook for just a minute or two and then remove — if you're looking to cool the eggs quickly for the salad, you can place them in a bowl of chilled water. 

You can also use the same tips you'd use for poaching chicken eggs to make sure they turn out just right, like choosing the freshest eggs, starting with ones that are at room temperature, and adding just a bit of white vinegar to the water. Also, cracking the eggs into a bowl ahead of time will help make the process go more smoothly (and decrease the presence of shell bits). Finally, be sure to avoid common egg poaching mistakes, like boiling the water too hard or placing too many eggs in the pot.

While Gordon Ramsay doesn't go into detail about the green bean salad he uses to top his Niçoise crackers, it's easy enough to toss one together that will channel the flavors of the classic Niçoise salad. Try tossing green beans with a homemade vinaigrette made with white wine and olive oil and laced with grated garlic. For a take similar to Julia Child's salad, whisk in some Dijon mustard, too – she added capers, parsley, and shallots with a mustard and white wine-based vinaigrette.

For the tapenade, a classic version of this spread combines black olives and anchovies with capers and olive oil, which gives Ramsay's dish a bit of brininess. However, you can change it up, too, by using green olives instead of black or adding in other ingredients like pine nuts or almonds, lemon, or fresh herbs.

The only elements of the traditional Niçoise salad that Ramsay's Triscuit-based take doesn't include are the tomatoes and potatoes. If you want to add these elements to your own version, there are some simple ways to do it. For the tomatoes, you can simply incorporate sun-dried tomatoes into the tapenade, or use them as a garnish. Meanwhile, to include potatoes, try finely slicing up some extra crispy potatoes to top the tuna, or even swap out the cracker for hearty, crunchy potato chips.

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