Alaskaniçoise

A fresh dinner salad

I’m a huge fan of traditional niçoise salad, a French salad made with tomatoes, green beans, boiled eggs, potatoes, pitted black olives, and tuna or anchovies, with a simple dressing of olive oil and salt. It’s healthy, beautiful on the plate, hits lots of satisfying savory notes, and is easy to throw together, with lots of make-ahead components.

My version is heartier and Alaska inspired. It serves as a filling main course, using grilled salmon and vegetables with a ranch-like dressing (a nod to the fact ranch was invented in Alaska). Feel free to riff. If you don’t have a grill, you could use leftover baked salmon or smoked salmon and steamed vegetables. If carrots are in season, you could thinly slice, roast, and include them as well. I don’t use potatoes, but it’s easy to include them, throwing them in with the eggs as they boil.

All the fresh flavors are marvelous, but I will say the real standout is the dressing. It’s a grown-up version of that fave salad bar staple, brightened with lemon and made more complex with a big handful of fresh herbs. That, too, is adaptable. If you don’t have access to herbs, you can use ½ teaspoon each of dried chives, dill, parsley, and basil. You can use milk instead of buttermilk. I like to cook the eggs so they are still a little jam-like in the center, but you could cook them longer, depending on your preference. The recipe makes extra dressing. It’s so good, you’ll want to put it on everything.