Food Network: Grilled Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad

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Grilled Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad
Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, Pizza, Pasta & More!, Random House, 2000

Ingredients
4 ounces haricots verts
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 medium onion, peeled, trimmed, and sliced
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded, trimmed, and cut into 1/4-inch
strips
1 yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded, trimmed, and cut into
1/4-inch strips
3/4 cup Nigoise Salad Dressing, recipe follows

6 ounces fingerling potatoes, boiled and peeled
1 cup red and yellow pear and Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
2 slices bread, preferably sourdough
1/2 garlic clove, peeled
2 tablespoons Herbed Goat Cheese, recipe follows
2 teaspoons Black and Green Olive Tapenade, recipe follows
2 (6-ounce) center-cut Ahi tuna fillets, seasoned with freshly cracked coriander
seeds, cracked black pepper, and kosher salt, to taste
4 cups mixed baby lettuces, washed and dried
6 tablespoons pitted Nigoise olives
3 quail eggs, boiled, peeled, and halved
6 anchovy fillets

Directions

Trim the haricots verts, then blanch in boiling water
and refresh in cold water. Drain and season with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt,
pepper and thyme, to taste. Reserve in a bowl.
Cut the onion into 1/4-inch round slices. In a small saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons
olive oil. Saute the onions until caramelized, about 10 minutes, stirring
constantly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Reserve in a bowl.
In a small bowl, toss together the roasted peppers and 1/8 cup Nigoise Salad
Dressing. Reserve.
Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch round slices. Place in a small bowl, add 1/4 cup
Nigoise Salad Dressing, and toss until well blended. Reserve.
In a small bowl, toss together the tomatoes and 1/8 cup Nigoise Salad Dressing.
Reserve.
To make crostini: Arrange the bread slices in a baking tray. Brush with olive oil
and bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Allow to cool, then

rub with garlic clove. For each of the crostini, spread 1 tablespoon Herbed Goat
Cheese and top with 1 teaspoon Black and Green Olive Tapenade.
In a small saucepan, over high heat, add the remaining 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons
olive oil and sear tuna fillets until all sides are brown, about 1 to 2 minutes,
keeping the centers rare. Remove from heat and slice each tuna fillet into 5 round
slices.
In a medium mixing bowl, toss together the mixed baby lettuces with 1/4 cup
Nigoise Salad Dressing.
To serve, divide the haricots verts, onion, bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and
olives into 6 portions. For each plate, arrange 3 portions of each ingredient by
placing them in a clockwise fashion, starting with the haricots verts at 1, 5, and
9 o'clock positions near the rim of the plate. Continue to place the onion, bell
peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and olives between the haricots verts. Place quail
egg halves over the peppers and an anchovy over the potatoes. Mound half of the

lettuce in the center of each plate. Arrange the tuna slices on the side of the
salad and top the lettuce with the crostini.

Ingredients
NICOISE SALAD DRESSING
Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, Pizza, Pasta & More!, Random House, 2000
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper

Sugar

Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar,
mustard, garlic, and shallots. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. Season
to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar. Refrigerate in a covered container. When
ready to use, whisk again.
Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients
BLACK AND GREEN OLIVE TAPENADE
Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, Pizza, Pasta & More!, Random House, 2000
1 cup Nigoise olives, pitted
1 cup small green French olives (Picholine), pitted

1/4 cup oven-dried tomatoes, drained, recipe follows
1 tablespoon capers
1 clove garlic
1 anchovy fillet
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions
In a food processor, combine all the ingredients,
except the olive oil and crostini. Using the pulse button, process until coarsely
chopped and well blended. Continue to process, slowly adding the olive oil.

Refrigerate in a covered container. Spread on homemade crostini, recipe follows.
Yield: 1 heaping cup
Herbed Goat Cheese: 2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 teaspoons
chopped fresh chives 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 1/2 teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper 1 (7 or 8-ounce) log goat cheese
Combine the parsley, chives, thyme, and pepper and place on a flat surface. Roll
the log of cheese in the mixture, coating all sides and retaining the shape of the
log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
Yield: 1 log
Oven-dried Tomatoes: 12 medium Roma tomatoes (2 pounds) 1/2 cup extra virgin olive
oil, plus additional as needed 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves 6 garlic
cloves, crushed 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

In a pot of boiling water, blanch tomatoes. Drain and refresh in ice water. Drain.
Peel, core, cut into quarters, and remove seeds.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the tomato quarters on the
tray, cut side down. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme and
garlic. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and sugar, and sprinkle evenly over
the tomatoes.
Bake until the tomatoes begin to shrivel, about 1 hour. When the tomatoes are cool
enough to handle, transfer to a container. Pour olive oil over and cover the
container. Refrigerate and use as needed.
Yield: 1 1/4 cups