Nicoise Salad - February Throwdown

My inspiration for my salad entry came from the south of France where a type of salad called the Nicoise salad is popular.  It normally consists of cooked egg, tuna, and raw vegetables.  I figured I could smoke the eggs and tuna, and also decided to smoke some french olives to throw in, as I had them on hand.

First up, I "boiled" (really steamed, I used Alton Brown's method) the eggs.


Then the eggs were shocked so that I could avoid any grey stuff.


This one was just a tad underdone, but the others looked okay.


Here is the tuna steak I was using.


I had the fishmonger cut it 1" thick.


Once the eggs were shelled, they needed to be smoked.  I used some aluminum foil to create a "raft" to avoid grill marks (I will eventually purchase those new cool mats).


I did the same for some french olives I had on hand.


I seasoned the tuna steak with some french sea salt, just for good measure.


I then cold-smoked the tuna steak for 2 hours.  Once that was done, I did a quick sear in a cast iron skillet.


Flipped after about 30-45 seconds.


Ready for slicing!


After that, it was time to plate.  Raw veggies and a basic dressing completed the Nicoise salad.


Congrats to the winners!  It was fun to compete again!