Add salmon to the classic French niçoise salad for a fun take on the beloved dish. This ZK version of the niçoise salad is fresh, healthy and perfect for weeknights!

Overhead photo of nicoise salad on a white plate with salmon cakes arranged around the edges of the plate.

I love, love, love a good niçoise salad. The variety of textures and flavors make this main-dish salad a hearty and satisfying option. A lettuce-less salad, the niçoise is anything but boring. Featuring briny olives, savory salmon, soft boiled eggs, and tons of fresh veggies— the harmony of flavors and textures is pure delight. 

What is niçoise salad?

Literally meaning “as prepared in Nice,” the niçoise salad exemplifies the type of cuisine found in and around the city of Nice. That type of cuisine is one that values both hot and cold dishes and relies heavily on tomatoes, black olives and anchovies

French green beans, onions, tuna, hard-cooked eggs, and herbs are the basic components of the niçoise salad. As you can see, this salmon niçoise salad has many similarities to the classic French version, while also standing firm in its differences.

For a more traditional recipe, check out our Simple Tuna Nicoise Salad.

Side angle of a nicoise salad on a white oval plate. Focused on soft boiled eggs and salmon patties.
Components of a salmon niçoise salad

Close up photo of a nicoise salad featuring green beans, soft boiled eggs, salmon cakes, olives, radishes, and gold potatoes.How to make a salmon niçoise salad 

Making a niçoise salad is a bit of a dance. It’s an easy dance, but a dance nonetheless. With a variety of components that need to get cooked, making the process efficient and timely is essential. Here’s how I do that (keep an eye on how I make pans work double duty): 

  1. Add potatoes to a large sauté pan and cover with at least 2 inches of water, cook as directed. 
  2. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Gently lower eggs into water and cook as directed.
  3. Prepare an ice water bath. 
  4. Transfer eggs to ice water bath. 
  5. Dump green beans into now-empty saucepan of boiling water; cook as directed.
  6. Transfer green beans to ice water bath with eggs.
  7. Drain eggs, green beans and potatoes; peel eggs.
  8. Cook salmon cakes (or pan seared salmon) as directed. 
  9. Trim and wash radishes. 
  10. Drain olives.
  11. Assemble salad and make vinaigrette. 

Overhead photo of a nicoise salad on a white oval plate with dressing and serving utensils off to the side Make ahead tips: 

Every single component of this salad can be made ahead of time. Although I prefer to make the salmon cakes right before serving, they too can be made ahead.

Up to 1 week ahead: 

The classic vinaigrette can be made up to 1 week ahead; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Up to 3 days ahead: 

Cook the potatoes, green beans and eggs up to 3 days ahead. To avoid any yolk-y mess, and to make storing easier, save the peeling of the eggs until right before serving.

The salmon cakes can be made up to 3 days ahead, but they are best when cooked fresh and served immediately. If you do choose to make them ahead of time, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, allow them to come to room temperature for 10 minutes, then reheat in a nonstick skillet coated with nonstick spray over medium heat until crisp and heated through. 

Overhead photo of meal prepped nicoise salad in two glass containers. Make sure to tag me @ZESTFULKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM or comment below if you make these pan seared salmon!

To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can click the button on any of the photos, or the red button on the side bar or below the recipe. Happy cooking!

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Overhead photo of nicoise salad on a white plate with salmon cakes arranged around the edges of the plate.

Salmon Niçoise Salad

  • Author: Lauren
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: French

Description

A delicious twist on the classic French salad featuring salmon cakes, soft 6-minute boiled eggs, fresh dill and a delicious vinaigrette! Make-ahead friendly, this salad is great for weekly meal prep!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 eggs
  • 12 ounces baby gold potatoes 
  • 1 pound green beans 
  • 1 recipe Easy Salmon Cakes 
  • ½ cup castelvetrano olives, pitted 
  • 1 bunch radishes (about 8 ounces), trimmed and washed 
  • 1 recipe Classic Vinaigrette 
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill 
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Add potatoes to a large sauté pan and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Place pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; season with 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and set aside. 

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and using a spider or slotted spoon, gently lower eggs into water. Bring water back up to a boil and cook eggs 6 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare an ice water bath. Using a spider or slotted spoon transfer eggs to ice water bath. 

Add green beans to now-empty saucepan of boiling water; cook beans until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer green beans to ice water bath with eggs and cool completely. 

Cook salmon cakes as directed.

Drain green beans and eggs. Arrange green beans on a large platter with potatoes, salmon cakes, olives, and radishes. Peel and halve eggs; arrange on platter.

Drizzle vinaigrette over salad, sprinkle with fresh dill, and season with salt and pepper. 



Nutrition

  • Calories: 290
  • Sugar: 2g
  • Sodium: 728mg
  • Fat: 19g
  • Saturated Fat: 3g
  • Carbohydrates: 14g
  • Fiber: 4g
  • Protein: 16g
  • Cholesterol: 134mg

Keywords: Salmon Niçoise Salad, Niçoise Salad, Meal prep salad, salmon salmon

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Overhead photo of nicoise salad on a white plate with salmon cakes arranged around the edges of the plate.

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About The Author

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

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