Not-Quite Niçoise with Lime-Chive Cream Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Author Notes

My passion for crème fraîche is a little like Lorelei Lee's for diamonds: I just love finding new foods it can dress up. Here, whisked with lime, chives and honey. Instead of the usual tuna, I used a bit of smoked fish: delicate smoked salmon for a gentle embrace, or mackerel for when you are up to a punch of flavor. Both are good. If, like me, you become an addict of the lime-chive cream, you could try it with potato salad or, thickened, as a dip for crudités. —creamtea

Test Kitchen Notes

What a wonderful way to celebrate the freshness of summer vegetables on a hot summer evening. But to be honest, the true star of this dish is the dressing. The combination of crème fraiche, lime and chives elevates this hearty and delicious salad to a new level, and makes a delightfully happy marriage with smoked salmon. Cook the beans, potatoes and eggs in the morning, and make the dressing. Everything else can be quickly prepped and assembled just before you’re ready to eat. But, trust me, you’ll want to double or triple the dressing recipe. It’s that good. —TheWimpyVegetarian

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• For the Salad
• 1 ¹/₄ poundstiny creamer potatoes, trimmed
  
• ³/₄ poundFrench filet beans or regular green beans, stem end removed
  
• 4 cupsbutter lettuce leaves, loosely packed, washed and spun dry
  
• 2 cupsbaby spinach leaves, washed and spun dry
  
• 2 pointed sweet red peppers (or 1 large red bell pepper), quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise
  
• 3 Persian cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
  
• 3 ripe, red-brown or other flavorful tomatoes, cored and sliced into wedges
  
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, halved
  
• 1 clove from a head of shallot, halved and thinly sliced
  
• 1 avocado, cut into thin wedges (optional, but good)
  
• 3 ouncesmild smoked salmon such as Scottish or Gaspe, sliced in ribbons, or one filet of smoked, peppered mackerel, flaked (about 3 oz.), as preferred
  

• For the lime cream
• 1 ¹/₂ - 2 tablespoonscrème fraîche
  
• ¹/₂ lime, juiced and zested
  
• 1 pinchfine sea salt to taste
  
• ¹/₂ teaspoonmild honey
  
• 2 tablespoonsminced chives
  
• 5 tablespoonsolive oil