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Sous-Chef Salad Recipe

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★★★★★

4.8 from 55 reviews

A vibrant, composed Sous-Chef Salad featuring tender marble potatoes, fresh green beans, perfectly boiled eggs, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, radishes, and high-quality tuna in oil, all tossed with a garlicky red wine vinaigrette and fragrant basil. This hearty yet fresh salad offers a delightful combination of textures and flavors, perfect for a light lunch or elegant side dish.

Ingredients

Scale

Vegetables & Salad Base

  • 5 ounces marble potatoes
  • 6 ounces green beans, stems removed, tails intact
  • 1 small head soft lettuce (butter or red-leaf lettuce)
  • 1 bunch radishes
  • 3 to 4 ounces ripe cherry tomatoes (red, yellow, or mixed)
  • 1/2 small red onion (about 2 ounces), halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 ounce pitted Kalamata olives, halved (about 1/4 cup)
  • 2 large, leafy basil sprigs (2 to 3 ounces)

Protein

  • 4 large eggs (refrigerator cold)
  • 4 ounces artichoke hearts in brine
  • 1 (6.7-ounce) jar high-quality tuna packed in oil

Dressing & Seasonings

  • Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3 garlic cloves, freshly peeled
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Extra-virgin olive oil (about 1/4 cup, plus tuna oil from the jar)

Instructions

  1. Boil the Potatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat and heavily salt it to taste like the sea. Add the marble potatoes and boil for 8 to 9 minutes, or until a thin tip of a knife pierces the potato as if going into soft wax. Remove with a spider strainer and let cool and drain on a baker’s rack set inside a sheet pan.
  2. Cook the Green Beans: Add the green beans to the same boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until their color changes from raw and dusty to a vibrant deep green. Remove with a spider and set aside to drain and cool on the rack.
  3. Boil the Eggs: Immediately add the cold eggs from the refrigerator to the boiling water and boil for exactly 8 minutes. Drain the eggs into the sink allowing the shells to crackle upon hitting the surface, then peel them under cold running water to stop the cooking process and make shell removal easier. Set peeled eggs on the rack to dry.
  4. Prepare the Lettuce and Radishes: While the eggs are boiling, wash and spin-dry the lettuce to remove moisture. Remove the green tops from the radishes, wash them carefully to eliminate any grit, and set aside.
  5. Assemble the Salad Base: On a large rimmed platter, tear the dry lettuce leaves and arrange them to form a bed. Halve the green beans crosswise and scatter them artfully around the lettuce. Halve the cooled potatoes and arrange them on the platter.
  6. Add Artichokes, Tomatoes, Radishes, and Eggs: Quarter the artichoke hearts if whole and place them on the salad. Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes as desired, quarter the radishes, and quarter the peeled eggs into wedges, arranging each component attractively on the bed of lettuce.
  7. Add Tuna, Onion, and Olives: Remove the tuna from the jar with a fork and break it into chunks, nestling them into the salad mound. Drizzle the tuna oil from the jar over the salad to add richness. Scatter the thinly sliced red onion and halved Kalamata olives over the top.
  8. Make the Dressing: Microplane or finely mince the garlic cloves into a small bowl. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 3 to 4 generous glugs (about 1/4 cup) of extra-virgin olive oil. Stir the mixture briskly to emulsify. Season with coarse salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  9. Add Basil and Dress the Salad: Just before serving, tear the basil leaves by hand to release their fragrance and scatter them evenly around the salad. When ready to serve, drizzle the dressing evenly over the entire salad. Toss gently to coat all ingredients, embracing the rustic beauty of a well-mixed composed salad.

Notes

  • Use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to easily remove vegetables from boiling water without carrying excess water.
  • Peeling eggs under running water helps prevent the shell from sticking to the egg white.
  • Reserve radish greens for making pesto or adding to soups for zero waste.
  • The salad can be served slightly warm or at room temperature.
  • Using high-quality tuna packed in oil enriches the salad’s flavor and adds depth.
  • Feel free to customize by adding or substituting seasonal vegetables as desired.
  • The dressing can be adjusted by adding Dijon mustard for more emulsification.

Keywords: Sous-Chef Salad, composed salad, marble potatoes, green beans, tuna salad, boiled eggs, artichoke hearts, fresh herbs, red wine vinaigrette

Find it online: https://kitchenbyclara.com/sous-chef-salad-recipe/