Roasted Tuna Niçoise on French Baguette Recipe by Mangia
Roasted Tuna Niçoise on French Baguette
This sandwich makes us feel as if we're in Nice, France. We close our eyes, and we're walking down a
sidewalk there, munching on this sunny, glorious combination. It makes a wonderful lunch and is perfect
for summer entertaining. To enjoy your own party, follow our suggestions at the end of the recipe for
making some of the components in advance.
Ingredients
- 1 tuna steak about 1 pound which is (1 ½ inches thick)
- 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large potato peeled
- 1 small red onion
- ½ of a cup of pitted kalamata olives
- 1 red bell pepper
- 6 romaine lettuce leaves
- 1 can which is 14 ounces of artichoke hearts packed in brine
- 1 cup of a loosely packed basil leaves
FOR THE DRESSING
- 2 anchovy fillets packed in oil
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- ½ of a cup of extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 large French baguettes
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler.
- Brush the tuna on both sides with the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Place on a baking
- sheet and roast as close to the heat as possible for 2 minutes. Turn and roast for another 2 minutes. The
- tuna will be cooked medium-rare at this point. Remove and reserve at room temperature.
- Place the eggs in cold water to cover by 1 inch. Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil over low
- heat. Turn off the heat and let the eggs cool to room temperature in the water.
- Cook the potato in simmering salted water to cover until soft when pricked with a fork, about 15
- minutes. Remove from the heat, cut in half lengthwise, and, cut side down, thinly slice. Reserve.
- Prepare the remaining ingredients: Peel, trim, and thinly slice the onion; break it into rings and
- reserve. Coarsely chop the olives. Trim, seed, and cut the red pepper into julienne strips. Wash the
- lettuce, pat dry, and cut into 2-inch chunks. Drain the artichokes in a colander and rinse well with cold
- water; drain again and squeeze as much water as you can out of them. Wash the basil leaves and pat
- dry.
- Peel the hard-boiled eggs and thinly slice. Thinly slice the tuna.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl or mortar, mash the anchovies. Add the garlic and mix well. Stir in
- the olive oil. Add the vinegar, thyme, black pepper, and salt and whisk until creamy.
- In a bowl, combine the tuna, lettuce, artichokes, onion, potato, pepper strips, olives, and basil leaves.
- Add the dressing and toss gently.
- To make sandwiches, first make sure that the baguettes are nice and crisp. (If they are limp, preheat
- the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and recrisp the baguettes for 5 minutes before cutting them.) Cut
- each baguette into 3 pieces. Cut each portion horizontally through the center without cutting all the way
- through. Press the halves, cut side down, on the counter to open them. Place a generous amount of
- tuna salad in the middle of each hinged sandwich. Arrange 2 or 3 slices of hard-boiled egg on top of the
- salad. Partially close the sandwich and cut in half.
