When we were growing up, we had a house boat on the Susquehanna River and our parents loved to entertain on the weekends. Mom was in charge of everyone being well fed and there were always plenty of weekenders to feed. One of my favorite dishes she made for the beautiful summer days on the river was her Salad Nicoise. I would call this a French version of an antipasto. I loved my mother’s 1980’s version of this classic salad, but I must admit I gave it a 2015 twist. Here grilled vegetables take on a whole new dimension. This is my version of her Salad Nicoise.  

Grilled Nicoise Salad
I lb fresh string beans
2 lb cherry or grape tomatoes
4 – 5 portabella mushrooms
5 Ahi Tuna steaks (fresh or frozen fresh)
50 Medium shrimp cleaned and deveined
5 large white potatoes cleaned and boiled until tender
8 hard boiled eggs
5 split chicken breasts, boned, thinly sliced  and cut into strips
2 red onions sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 roasted red peppers
2 cups your choice vinaigrette…

Heat oven to 375 °F. Toss tomatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 25 minutes until a dark color starts to emerge. Toss the string beans in olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a cooking sheet. Cook along with the tomatoes for 25 minutes.

Heat grill or grill skillet and cook chicken through, set aside. Cook shrimp for 3 minutes total and set aside. Cook Ahi tuna for 2 minutes on each side in grill pan and set aside. Do the same with Portabella mushrooms and the red onions, set aside.

Clean and slice hard boiled eggs. Marinate potatoes in chosen vinaigrette. Slice roasted red peppers. Remove tomatoes and string beans from oven and cool. Arrange in segments on a LARGE platter to look similar to the picture above. Dress with favorite vinaigrette. Serve with lettuce. Devour, trust me, you will!

Enjoy!

Heidi