Salads

August 4, 2021

Pasta Salad Nicoise with Smoked Salmon

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I love classic salad nicoise, a beautifully arranged, composed salad of tender vegetables, tuna, and olives. But being fortunate enough to live in the Pacific Northwest, I have access to delicious smoked salmon, which I love to substitute for the tuna in salad nicoise. In this Pasta Salad Nicoise with Smoked Salmon, I did just that, and I also swapped out the traditional potatoes for cooked pasta to put a summer-time twist on the idea.

Pasta Salad Nicoise with Smoked Salmon makes a great summer meal at home, but also transports nicely to a barbecue or picnic outdoors. It makes an attractive presentation, with the bright green vegetables, red tomatoes and salmon, rich black olives, and vibrant yellow egg yolks. As summer approaches, tomatoes and green beans will be in local markets and grocery stores in abundance, and this is a great celebration of these seasonal produce stars.

This Pasta Salad Nicoise with Smoked Salmon would make a wonderful addition to your next barbecue or picnic. It would also be a lovely summer meal to serve guests, especially if dining outdoors. Add this to your summer salads rotation for a nutrient-dense pasta salad option!

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Ingredients assembled for Pasta Salad Nicoise with Smoked Salmon
Assemble your ingredients.

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Assembling the salad layer by layer
This salad does take a few steps to prep ingredients, but they don't take too long, and can be done simultaneously on the stove top. Hard boil eggs, blanch green beans, and cook pasta according to package directions. While these components cook and cool, slice tomatoes and olives, and make the dressing. I like to dress the pasta and vegetables with half the dressing and toss gently to combine, then add the greens to the top of the bowl along with the remaining dressing, and toss again to combine everything.

Pasta Salad Nicoise served in a large glass bowl with hard-boiled eggs arranged on top
Arrange the hardboiled eggs on top of the salad, and sprinkle each half with a little salt and pepper.

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Large bowl of Pasta Salad Nicoise with Smoked Salmon next two the salad served in a smaller grey bowl on a pink linen
Serve immediately, and enjoy!

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Original publication date: May 24, 2021

Pasta Salad Nicoise with Smoked Salmon

In this Pasta Salad Nicoise with Smoked Salmon, I swapped out the traditional potatoes for cooked pasta and subbed salmon for tuna, to put a Pacific Northwest summer-time twist on the idea.

Author:

Kira Freed - The Joyful Plateful

Prep:

10

min

cook:

30

min

total:

40

min

Print It

Ingredients

4 eggs, hardboiled

6-8 oz. short-cut pasta of your choice (such as penne or rotini; 1/2 box)

6 oz. black olives, halved (1 can)

1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 lb. green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 1” pieces

8 oz. hot-smoked salmon

5 oz. mixed baby or spring greens


For dressing: 2/3 cup avocado oil

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. dijon mustard

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Start by hard boiling the eggs. Place eggs in a small sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and remove the pot from the stove. Let eggs stand in the hot water for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, drain hot water, and submerge the eggs in cold water to stop the cooking. Once eggs are cool enough to handle, peel the shells off. Slice the hardboiled eggs in half, and set aside.
  2. Next, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain cooked pasta, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
  3. While pasta is cooking, blanch green beans. In a medium pot, bring several cups of water to a boil (enough to cover the beans). Once water is boiling, add green beans and cook for 5-6 minutes (until crisp tender, and still bright green). Drain green beans, and submerge in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain again, and set aside.
  4. To make the dressing, combine avocado oil, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine (or in a 1-pint mason jar and shake vigorously). Set aside.
  5. To assemble salad, add cooked, cooled pasta to a large serving bowl. Add olives, tomatoes, and green beans. Pour half the dressing over these ingredients, and toss to evenly coat. Break up the smoked salmon into pieces, adding it to the bowl. Gently toss to combine, being careful to not break up the salmon too much. Add the mixed baby greens to the top of the bowl, and pour over remaining dressing. Gently toss the whole salad together, to evenly distribute ingredients. Arrange hardboiled egg halves on top of the salad, sprinkling each egg with a little salt and pepper.
  6. Serve salad immediately, at room temperature. Serves 4 as a main course, or more if a side dish.

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Hi there, I’m Kira!

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