Put A Savory Spin On Niçoise Salad And Swap Tuna For Canned Sardines

Dreaming of the French Riviera, but a little short on vacation days? Send your tastebuds on a trip with a Niçoise salad. Loaded with hearty ingredients that give the salad tons of flavor and texture, the Niçoise salad is an iconic entree salad that's perfect for a leisurely lunch on the coast of France or a light dinner in the heat of summer.

There are a few things a Niçoise salad has to have to carry the name. Green beans, boiled potatoes, and Niçoise olives top the list, and you'll rarely see one without a boiled egg. Finally, tinned fish for protein and an extra briny note in honor of Nice's seaside location. Anchovies are traditional and tuna is a popular (and less polarizing) alternative, but we're here to make the argument for a tinned fish in need of a PR boost: sardines.

A Niçoise salad is the perfect place to use canned sardines. Fresh sardines have a strong fish flavor and oily texture, but when they're cooked and packaged in high-quality olive oil, the flavor mellows and the texture becomes firm and flaky. Anchovies, on the other hand, can be a bit of a fishy salt bomb. And with a plethora of flavored options available from Spain and Portugal — think lemon zest, tomato sauce, and chili peppers — you can add a burst of flavor to your salad with a single can. Move over, plain old tuna.

Sardines take a little more prep than opening and draining a can of tuna, but we promise the extra steps are worth it. It starts, of course, with choosing your sardines. First and foremost, reach for sardines packed in olive oil. Since the sardines are going on a lightly dressed salad and not into a rich sauce, the flavor from the olive oil will make a big difference.

If you're shopping for sardines at the grocery store, look for skinless and boneless filets. This fish will be ready to eat, no additional prep is required. In a specialty shop, you'll find artisanal and imported varieties (keep an eye out for Portuguese sardines if you can get them) that will still have the skin and bones included.

The thin skin and delicate bones are totally edible, but you can remove them if you'd prefer. Just remove a fish from the can, then gently scrape the skin off the outside. Use a knife to open up the fish — it should neatly split into two, revealing the spine. Take out the spine, but don't worry about any remaining rib bones. Just like with canned anchovies, those small bones are safe to eat (and would be a huge pain to remove completely). 

And don't toss the oil! Use it to make your Niçoise salad dressing for extra depth of flavor.