If there’s ONE thing I can’t quit, it’s the wild salmon niçoise salad from on the Nordstrom Café menu. Obviously, if you’ve had it you know what I mean. Pronounced, Nee-Swaz. it’s packed with flavor, antioxidants, healthy fats and crispy potatoes. (Paleo, GF, and dairy-free!)
Anyways, since it’s the only item I ever order, I was raving about it to the chef a few weeks ago and he was kind enough to go and print out the entire recipe for me! That’s the kind of customer service I can get behind. I just love Nordstrom!
I was so surprised at how easy it was to throw together. Perfect for lunch or dinner! The salty flavor of the kalamata olives and capers pair so well with the…. ok, ok I’m not going to get into the deets, you guys have to try it out for yourselves! 😉
The only thing I changed was the dressing– it calls for a dijon balsamic vinaigrette, but I love a good extra virgin olive oil + fresh lemon juice combo on salads, especially this one. If you’re wanting to try the dijon vinaigrette, I left it below xx
Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
3 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 tbsp light brown sugar (I would sub for coconut sugar)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
Directions: combine balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, diced red onion, and brown sugar (or coconut sugar) into blender. and pulse until well combined, about 1 minute. With the blender running, slowly add extra virgin olive oil in a thin steady stream, forming a vortex swirling effect until all the oil is absorbed, approximately 2 minutes. The dressing should have a medium brown color and a smooth and somewhat creamy consistency. Season with sea salt + ground pepper, fold in fresh basil and pulse 3 times with blender, about 10 seconds each time in order to fully incorporate. Lasts 3 days in the fridge.
Copycat Nordstrom Cafe Wild Salmon Niçoise Salad
Ingredients
- 2 6oz wild salmon fillets
- 5-7 medium red potatoes, quartered
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives
- 1-2 handfuls fresh green beans
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 1-2 tbsp fresh capers
- 1 fresh lemon, quartered
herb crust for salmon
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh italian parsley, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp chopped green onion
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- pink salt, to taste
- ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Add quartered potatoes & spray (or toss) lightly with olive or avocado oil and pink salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing 10 minutes before done. Once cooked, set aside.
- Steam green beans and cut into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.
- Heat oven to 500 degrees F.
- To prepare crust for salmon, make sure all fresh herbs are finely chopped, then mix together in a bowl until well-combined. Lay salmon, presentation side up, over parchment paper on baking sheet. Top herb mix over fillet and bake for 5-7 minutes, depending on how thick the salmon is.
- Layer salad ingredients on plate (or toss in large bowl), leaving the salmon & capers. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with lemon. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi, Thanks so much for posting this. It’s my favorite salad and dressing. Haven’t tried making it yet, as I have a question: Just wondering if you have a recommendation for the Dijon mustard brand to use, and/or if you know which one Nordstrom uses. There are so many different kinds.
Thank you!
In the recipe for the dressing, do you mean 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar? Sorry to seem confused! I’ve made this before with Nordstrom’s Champagne Vinaigrette but would love to try this one!
Yes! That’s what it calls for 🙂
I worked for Nordstrom and used to make this alot
The salmon should have dijon mustard then the herb crust on top..
The dressing is pretty on point
The salad itself has thin sliced red onion as well 1 egg quartered and place around the side of the salad and about 4 of the potatoes quarters on the plate
The salad should be tossed in the dressing nd s&p to taste prior to plating and topped with capers and the salmon plated on top
I will be making this tonight though you did quite well with this copycat recipe 🙂
Thank you for the recipe. Nordstrom Cafe’s Nicoise salad is my favorite too. I have a couple of questions: 5-7 medium potatoes seems like way more than two people can eat and what do you do with 1/4 cup EVOO in the herb crust section? That seems like too much to put on the salmon or mix with the herbs. I just brushed on a tablespoon or so of the EVOO and the salmon turned out great. It was still raw at 7 minutes. I cooked it for 9 minutes, and it was done just right. I added only 1/4 tsp sea salt in the vinaigrette and it was salty enough.
All-in-all a good recipe. Thanks again!
I’m obsessed with Dijon vinaigrette …could you post the recipe? Please 🙂
Hi Rachael,
Huge fan of you! I noticed you didn’t coat the salmon with dijon mustard before layering the herbs ontop, would you recommend it, or it isn’t necessary?
Not necessary! I also just added the recipe for the dijon balsamic vinaigrette to the post 🙂 You can toss this with the salad or drizzle over the top once done plating the food. Enjoy!
Thanks for the reminder 🙂 Just added it!