Recipe: Roasted Salmon Niçoise Salad

Pro Linsey Corbin shares one of her favorite recovery recipes: Roasted Salmon Niçoise Salad. All images by Hazel & Blue.

Roasted Salmon Niçoise Salad Inspiration:

I have deemed myself the Queen of “Salad For Dinner” which is just lingo for let’s take all your favorite things and throw them together in a giant bowl and call it dinner. We have Salad For Dinner at least once a week, if not more: all the veggies, some sort of lean protein, healthy fats, and a carbohydrate for good measure. 

Now, if I had to pick my favorite Salad For Dinner recipe that I could have on repeat—this would be it, the Nicoise Salad.

When asked to come up with the ultimate recovery meal for the Triathlete Challenge, the Nicoise Salad came right to mind. I love the salty olives, the Omega-3 loaded salmon, perfect proteins found in eggs, lots of green veggies, and the carbohydrates in potatoes to fill you up—all paired with a zesty dressing.

A few fun nutrition facts for recovery: if you are looking to reduce inflammation, take on extra Omega-3’s found in fish or fish oil. Olive oil and olives can help lower LDL’s (“bad” cholesterol) and raise HDL’s (“good” cholesterol). Eggs are among the best of the best when it comes to a source of protein as they contain all of the essential and non-essential amino acids (the building blocks of muscle). Lastly, your body’s glycogen stores are used as fuel during exercise and consuming carbs (potatoes in this case!) after your workout helps replenish them.

There are a few steps to making this salad but have no fear. A lot of the preparation can either be done in advance or simultaneously and you can be from spandex-to-table in a matter of no time.

Roasted Salmon Niçoise Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

Serves 2

Salad:
¾ pound fresh salmon fillet
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ lemon, thickly sliced
2 eggs
½ pound very small potatoes (or fingerlings)
¼ pound green beans, trimmed
3 cups mixed lettuces
½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
⅓ cup niçoise olives, pitted
Salt and pepper

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, grated
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, totally optional
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the salmon on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add a sliced lemon on the side. Roast for 10-12 minutes until cooked through but not too firm. Set aside to cool. Break into large pieces. 

Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, garlic, shallot, Dijon & olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Set aside.

The ultimate jammy eggs: Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Gently lower the eggs into the water and cook them for 6 ½ minutes, lowering the heat to a gentle boil as needed. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath or cold running water and allow to cool for a few minutes, but do not dump out the water. Slice in half, set aside.

Prepare your potatoes: Season the hot water with a good handful of salt and return to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes. To test for doneness, pierce one with a sharp knife. If the potato easily slides off the knife, it’s done. Remove the potatoes to a small bowl and toss with a tablespoon of the vinaigrette. Set aside to cool. Do not dump out the water.

Cook your green beans: Add the green beans to hot water and cook for 2-3 minutes until bright green and crisp-tender. Remove the beans to an ice bath or cold running water to stop their cooking. Drain the beans into a small bowl and toss with a tablespoon of the vinaigrette. Set aside.

In a small bowl, toss the tomatoes in a couple teaspoons of the vinaigrette.

To assemble the salad: line a large platter with the lettuces and drizzle with a bit of the vinaigrette. Arrange the tomatoes, olives, potatoes, and green beans in sections on the platter. Add the salmon in its own section and nestle the halved eggs amongst the salad components. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and give everything one last sprinkle of flakey salt.