Name: Nicoise Salad Cups with Lemon Dressing
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 87 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1½ teaspoons honey; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 (approximately 1-pound) albacore tuna loin; ¾ cup milk, (1 or 2% — optional (see salad instruction no. 1)); 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, (washed and dried, finely chopped fresh oregano); 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, (washed and dried, finely chopped fresh thyme); 2 teaspoons garlic, (minced); 1 tablespoon olive oil ((plus a bit more for the pan)); 4 large hard boiled eggs, (sliced thinly); 2 small heads butter lettuce; 12 small dill sprigs, (washed and dried); ½ small to medium sized avocado, (thinly sliced); ¼ cup Nicoise or Kalamata olives, (pitted, roughly chopped); ¼ cup tomatoes, (seeded); 1 tablespoon capers; 1 tablespoon yellow onion, (finely chopped); salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Delicious, healthy and beautiful Nicoise Salad Cups with Lemon Dressing –– are a lovely display of fresh ingredients! Made with albacore tuna, it’s enough for a main course and a small portion is ideal for a starter.

My parents bought their house, where my dad still lives, over 50 years ago.

They’ve always been so fortunate to have wonderful neighbors. I’m not talking about just nice — I’m taking about really good-will-do-anything-for-you people. Everyone looks out for each other — and they’re friends. Real friends.

When my dad was in the hospital a while back, there were phone calls, emails, texts, flowers, cards, food, etc. And when my mom passed away, there was all of that and then some.

What does this have to do with my Nicoise Salad Cups?

One of the neighbors, John, has lived right next door for over thirty years. Not only is he everything I mentioned above, but there’s an additional benefit to knowing him — his passion for, and expertise in fishing.

My family has eaten a whole lot of fresh fish John’s caught over the years. Really fresh, super delicious fish!

John recently gave me a gift, along with a culinary challenge.

He gave me a beautiful albacore tuna loin from a recent fishing excursion. He wanted me to see if I could prepare it in a way his wife Dana, might like it. You see, Dana isn’t a fan of “fishy” fish, which Albacore can sometimes be.

I decided to make Nicoise Salad Cups and I was determined to make this somewhat fishy fish more mild, add some delicious flavors to it, work it into a super tasty recipe, and have Dana love it.

How to Get Rid of Fishy Taste in Fish

There are three things that will greatly help get rid of that fishy taste . . .

Soaking fish in milk for a brief time can help remove some of the fishiness. For the science behind this, check out this explanation from Cooks Illustrated. And to see how to do it, and check out salad instruction no. 1 in the box recipe below.
A rub-like marinade with fresh herbs, garlic and a little olive oil also helps remove the fishy taste as it adds a ton of delicious flavor.
Then sear the fish in a very hot sauté pan — caramelizing it to perfection, which will add a beautiful “crust” on the outside, sealing in all of that added flavor.

As you’ll note in the recipe, you can cook it as long or as little as you’d like — assuming it’s a very high quality/sushi grade fish, like this. (Here’s some information on purchasing sushi grade fish.)

The tuna can be thinly sliced, and in some cases, it will almost “flake” apart.

(You’ll notice some pieces look more rare than others — the loin is thicker in the middle, so the ends are more well done.)

How to Assemble this Albacore Nicoise Salad

– Coat a large platter with Butter lettuce leaves. – Top the lettuce with avocado, fresh dill and hard boiled eggs.– And the tuna, of course.– Followed by a sprinkling of olives, capers, tomatoes and onions.– Finish with a drizzle of Lemon Dressing.

(You can also just mix all of the ingredients together in a large serving bowl, if you’d prefer.)

I hope you all enjoy every bite!

Maybe you’ll invite some neighbors over to try these lovely Nicoise Salad Cups. 😉