Tuna and prawn salade nicoise

recipe

Tuna and prawn salade nicoise

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Salade Nicoise is a traditional Provencal dish, which is delicious, but here I have added a few ideas to give it a modern twist. It makes for a decorative first course, and you can make it look exceedingly pretty when arranged on a big platter or individual dishes. You don't have to include the prawns

Ingredients

75g (2 1/2oz) fine green beans, trimmed
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt and pepper
12 new potatoes (such as Charlotte or Jersey Royal) peeled
1 fresh tuna fillet, about 400g (14oz)
4 raw tiger prawns
8 quail's eggs, soft-boiled
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Basil-infused olive oil
Small handful of basil leaves
Handful of stoned black olives
Tapenade croutons:
4 slices French loaf
Olive oil

Serves: 4

Directions

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Blanch the beans in rapidly boiling water for minutes, then drain. While still warm, add a little olive oil and the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and toss. Boil the potatoes until tender, then cut in half and toss in olive oil and salt in another bowl.
Using a ridged cast-iron grill pan, sear the tuna in a little hot olive oil on each side for minutes, then cut into thin vertical slices and set aside. Fry the prawns in the same pan and oil until they change colour and are no longer opaque. Soft-boil the quail's eggs for minutes, then plunge into iced water. Leave everything to cool a little.
To make the croutons, preheat the oven to degrees C (degrees F/Gas . Brush both sides of the bread with a little oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for minutes. When the croutons have cooled slightly, spread with the tapenade.
To assemble, arrange a pile of beans on each plate with six tomato halves, one tapenade crouton, two shelled quail's eggs (do this shelling very carefully), six potato halves, one prawn and a quarter of the tuna. Drizzle with basil oil. Garnish with the basil and rocket leaves and the black olives.
TIP:

Source: School For Cooks by Rosemary Shrager, published by DK