Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large platter or four individual plates
• •Cast iron skillet (10-12 inch)
• •Large pot for blanching
• •Medium bowl and whisk for vinaigrette
• •Kitchen towels for drying

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the vinaigrette

   Combine the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced shallot, garlic paste, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk vigorously until the mustard dissolves completely. Let this mixture sit for ten minutes. The shallot will soften and the flavors will marry while the mustard's emulsifiers activate. Now add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly. You'll see the mixture transform from watery to creamy and thick. This is emulsification: the mustard's proteins suspend the oil droplets throughout the vinegar, creating a unified dressing that clings rather than pools. Stir in the thyme leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning.

   The stream of oil must be thin. Pour too fast and the emulsion breaks, leaving you with a greasy, separated mess. If it does break, start fresh with another teaspoon of mustard in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the broken dressing into it.
2. 2

   Cook the potatoes

   Place potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water by two inches, and add a generous tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until a knife slides through without resistance, fifteen to twenty minutes depending on size. Drain and let cool just until you can handle them, then slice into thick coins or halves. While still warm, drizzle with two tablespoons of vinaigrette and a pinch of salt. Warm potatoes absorb dressing like sponges. Cold potatoes reject it.

   Waxy potatoes hold their shape after cooking. Russets will crumble. Fingerlings, new potatoes, or Yukon Golds are your friends here.
3. 3

   Blanch the green beans

   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it until it tastes like the sea. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Drop the trimmed beans into the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender with brilliant green color, two to three minutes. They should snap when bent but yield to your tooth without squeaking. Immediately plunge into ice water to halt cooking. Drain thoroughly on kitchen towels. Soggy beans dilute the dressing.

   True haricots verts are thinner and more tender than American green beans. Either works, but adjust cooking time accordingly. Thick beans need four to five minutes.
4. 4

   Perfect the eggs

   Lower eggs gently into boiling water using a slotted spoon. For jammy centers with set whites, cook exactly seven minutes. For fully set but creamy yolks, cook nine minutes. Transfer to ice water immediately and let cool for five minutes before peeling. The ice bath stops the cooking and contracts the egg slightly from the shell, making peeling easier. Slice each egg in half lengthwise just before composing the salad.

5. 5

   Sear the tuna

   Pat tuna steaks completely dry with paper towels. Season generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until nearly smoking. Add the two tablespoons of olive oil, swirl to coat. Lay the tuna away from you to prevent splattering. Sear without moving for sixty to ninety seconds until a deep golden crust forms. Flip and sear the second side for the same time. The interior should remain ruby red. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for two minutes before slicing against the grain into half-inch strips.

   Sushi-grade tuna is essential if you want rare centers. If your fish is not sushi-grade, cook it through. A well-done tuna salad is better than a trip to the hospital.
6. 6

   Prepare the greens

   Arrange butter lettuce leaves on a large platter or individual plates, cupping them slightly to create natural vessels for the components. Butter lettuce offers the ideal texture here: tender enough to cut with a fork, sturdy enough to hold dressing without wilting immediately. Its mild, slightly sweet flavor lets the other components shine. Toss the leaves with just two tablespoons of vinaigrette, coating lightly.

7. 7

   Compose the salad

   This is where artistry meets appetite. Arrange the components in distinct groupings across the dressed lettuce: potatoes in one section, green beans in another, tomatoes clustered together, eggs placed yolk-up to show their golden centers. Scatter the olives and capers throughout. Lay the tuna slices across the center. Drape the anchovies over the top. Distribute the paper-thin onion rings. Each bite should offer a different combination, so keep elements identifiable rather than tossed together.

   A composed salad is not a tossed salad. The beauty lies in seeing each component. Let your guests choose their own adventure with every forkful.
8. 8

   Dress and serve

   Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the composed salad in generous zigzags, concentrating on the beans, potatoes, and tomatoes. The tuna needs less. Scatter the minced chives over everything. Serve immediately with the remaining vinaigrette on the side. This salad waits for no one. The moment the dressing hits the lettuce, the clock starts. Within fifteen minutes, you have a salad. Within thirty, you have soggy disappointment.

Chef Tips

• •Oil-packed anchovies from Spain or Italy have superior flavor to the salt-packed variety for this application. Rinse salt-packed anchovies and pat dry if that's what you have.
• •Niçoise olives are small, brownish-black, and briny. Kalamatas work in a pinch, but their flavor is more aggressive. Never use canned black olives. They taste like nothing.
• •The vinaigrette improves after resting. Make it the morning of your dinner party and let the shallot mellow. Re-whisk vigorously before using, as it may separate slightly.
• •For a dinner party, sear the tuna just before guests arrive and let it rest at room temperature. It's best within thirty minutes of cooking, neither hot nor refrigerator-cold.

Advance Preparation

• •Vinaigrette can be made up to five days ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature and re-whisk before using.
• •Potatoes can be cooked, dressed, and refrigerated up to one day ahead. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• •Green beans can be blanched and dried up to one day ahead, stored in a sealed container lined with paper towels.
• •Eggs can be boiled up to three days ahead, stored unpeeled in the refrigerator. Peel and slice just before serving.
• •The tuna must be seared fresh. There is no acceptable make-ahead method for rare tuna.
• •This salad cannot be fully composed ahead. The dressed components become soggy within thirty minutes. Prepare elements, then compose immediately before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 680g)