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Chef Nick Bramham describes this recipe as a “turbocharged” Salade Niçoise, inspired by the ingredients overlap between the somewhat cultish French salad and Tunisian street food that he noticed on a trip last year.
It was a mega hit on the menu at his restaurant Quality Wines, and at home would be best served for lunch on a very hot day when you want something that demonstrates real care without the fuss of actual cooking. It’s a recipe that makes the best of good summer vegetables by doing very little to them.
If you want to elevate it further, nestle the ingredients in on the plate one by one, Nick says, to ensure optimal balance on each plate.
Nick Bramham’s Salade Tunisienne
To serve two
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Cook the new potatoes in lightly salted simmering water until tender when pierced with a skewer or fork (about 10-15 mins). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to a plate, and once cool enough to handle peel off and discard the skin and cut the potatoes into 5mm slices.
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Boil the eggs. (You can do this at the same time as the potatoes, or re-use the potato water if time isn’t of the essence.) To boil, lower carefully into simmering water and cook for exactly seven and a half minutes. Drain and let the eggs sit in a bowl under cold running water for about five minutes. Peel and halve them.
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Mix together the harissa, vinegar and olive oil to make the dressing (I like to shake it all together in a repurposed jam jar).
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Halve each tomato across the equator then cut each half into six equal pieces and divide, cut sides up, between the bowls in which you’ll serve the salads.
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Peel and quarter the cucumber lengthwise and cut into pieces of a similar size to the tomato. Divide equally between the two salad bowls. Season both the tomato and cucumber with a good sprinkle of fine sea salt.
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Trim the spring onions of any dry exterior leaves and slice into 5mm rounds. Scatter into the salad bowls.
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Cut the green pepper into 5mm slices, discarding any seeds as you go. Scatter into the salad bowls, along with the sliced potatoes.
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Drizzle over most of the dressing and gently fold the vegetables together.
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Break the canned tuna in rough chunks over the salads.
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Add the halved boiled eggs, cut side up. Scatter over the olives.
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Drizzle with the remaining dressing – it looks particularly visually striking as it hits the golden-yolked eggs.
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Enjoy with a crusty baguette and extra harissa for the table.
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