Recipe: (a nod to) Salad Nicoise (using Preserved Salted Sardine or Anchovy)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

I made this at Halloween last year, crazy talk I know!! The weather was so nice  the dish just seemed to suit! It was 22C in London!! Barking! It’s cobbled together from stuff that was in the kitchen that day and some preserved sardines I made earlier in the year.

Boiled potatoes sautéed with chorizo make a nice addition to this classic salad . . . 

ingredients (serves 2, 4 as a starter)

for the salad

100g mixed salad leaves (the curly type are nice, bit of rocket too)

125g chorizo sausage (diced chunky)

3 medium potatoes (2cm dice, boiled)

2 slices white bread (1.5cm thick, toasted and buttered 
both sides)

2 fillets salted sardine (or 16 anchovies)

2 free range eggs (soft boiled)

4 small beetroot (pickled)

2 large ripe tomatoes

3 tbsp vinaigrette (35% vinegar 65% EVO)

for the sardine sauce

4 fillets salted sardines (fine dice, or 32 anchovies)

2 tbsp mayo

2 tbsp creme fraiche

1/4 cucumber (peeled & juiced)

1/2 lemon (zest & juice)

apparatus / equipment

stick blender (optional)

method

for the sardine sauce

Mix the fine diced sardine w/ the rest of the ingredients. I used 4 but you can use less is you like it a little less salty.

The cucumber gives it such a light summery flavour that goes so well with this salad. 

If you don’t have a juicer just grate the cucumber into the mix.

for the salad

To hard boil a couple of eggs boil them for 6 minutes then put them into cold water straight after, 4 minutes for soft.

Pat dry preserved sardines (or anchovies - 8 anchovies per sardine fillet). 

Make sure they don’t have any scales on them, scrape the back of your knife along the fillet of the fish to remove.

Cut 2 of the fillets into medium dice to mix with the tomatoes.

Cut 4 of them into fine dice for the sauce.

Add the chorizo to a pan on a medium heat and once it’s started to release fat, add a touch more veg oil and the boiled potatoes. 

If you rough the boiled potatoes up a little before adding them to the pan they’ll crisp up nicely, try it out!

Sauté until golden brown.

Toast a doorstop and butter it on both sides, then cut into croutons. (fast and tasty cheats croutons!!)

Peel and quarter the eggs.

Mix the coarse diced sardine in with some chopped tomatoes and add a little vinaigrette.

Mix some sweet pickled beetroot and salad leaves.

Assemble to create a feast for the eye and the palette!!

Tadaa!

Now that's a salad!!