This niçoise-inspired grilled fish salad is made with your choice of fish, baby potatoes, olives, roasted peppers, fresh greens, French beans & white beans in lemon-mustard dressing. Gluten-free, low-carb.
I love having a hearty salad for dinner, and this grilled fish salad is one of my personal favorites. It is packed with protein and fiber, and fresh veggies like purple potatoes, green beans, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and herbs, over a big bed of greens with a Nicoise dressing.
It can be an easy meal to put together on weeknights, especially if you marinate the fish ahead of time, and it is lovely for entertaining on hot summer evenings. Hearty and satisfying, it is always a crowd pleaser, both in my catering business and at home entertaining friends.
This salad is inspired by the Niçoise salad (pronounced ne-suaz), also called Salade Niçoise, a French salad originating from Nice. Located on the southeast coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea, much of Nice’s cuisine comes from the ocean itself. Traditionally, Nicoise salad is composed of fresh tuna, raw vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, olive oil, and Nicoise olives. This version is a twist on the original.
Fish Salad Ingredients
- Fish fillets - The protein-rich centerpiece of the salad, lightly grilled until tender and flaky. Thicker cuts of grill-friendly fish like salmon, halibut, mahi mahi, black cod, bass, tuna, or rockfish work especially well here.
- Fish Marinade- Olive oil, garlic, whole grain mustard, kosher salt, black pepper, and lemon zest - a simple, flavorful marinade that keeps the fish moist while adding bright citrus flavor, savory depth, and gentle tang from the mustard.
- Cannellini beans - Add creamy texture and hearty protein, making the salad more protein-rich and satisfying. Boiled eggs can be substituted for a more classic Niçoise-style variation.
- Baby potatoes - Bring heartiness and soak up the dressing beautifully while adding tender texture.
- Green beans - Add crisp-tender freshness and vibrant color.
- Kalamata or Niçoise olives - Provide salty, briny flavor that gives the salad its Mediterranean character.
- Capers - Add bright, punchy acidity and savory depth throughout the salad.
- Roasted red bell peppers - Bring sweetness and smoky flavor that pair beautifully with the grilled fish.
- Spinach or arugula - Create a fresh green base for the salad. Arugula adds a peppery bite, while spinach keeps it mild and tender.
- Cherry tomatoes - Add juicy sweetness and freshness that balance the briny olives and capers.
- Nicoise Dressing – Lemon juice and zest, red wine vinegar, olive oil, red onion, fresh thyme or oregano, parsley, whole grain mustard, salt, and black pepper - A bright, herb-packed dressing inspired by classic Niçoise flavors. Lemon and vinegar add acidity, olive oil creates richness, mustard adds tang, and fresh herbs bring freshness and complexity.
Chef’s tips
The great thing about this Nicoise salad is that it can mostly be made ahead if need be – marinate the fish, make the dressing, cook the veggies, then right before serving, just grill the fish and assemble. The key to this salad is to find ripe, flavorful produce. Go to your farmer’s market or if you are fortunate enough to have a garden, pick out some fresh veggies! This is the time!
Purple potatoes give this a very dramatic and beautiful look.
And this Nicoise Salad Dressing is truly divine. I like to marinate the white beans and peppers in the dressing, then pour the dressing over the salad before serving.
Serving Suggestions
When entertaining (or when we cater events) we serve the salad family-style on large platters that can be passed down the table for a beautiful and dramatic presentation. Or feel free to individually plate. Up to you!
Storage
Leftovers will keep up to 3 days stored in separate containers in the refrigerator.
More Favorite Fish Salads
Grilled Fish Salad with Nicoise Dressing
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: Entree Salad, fish, Gluten Free, Main, salad
- Method: grilled
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This grilled fish salad is a fresh Mediterranean-inspired dinner made with grilled fish, potatoes, green beans, olives, and a bright lemon Niçoise dressing.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4-6 fish boneless, skinless filets – (4-6 ounces each, thicker cut) use a grillable fish: salmon, black cod, rockfish, mahi mahi, halibut, bass, or tuna
Fish Marinade:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 T whole grain mustard
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper
- zest of one lemon
Salad ingredients:
- 1 x 15 oz can cannellini beans rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 C cooked) or sub 3 boiled eggs, cut in half
- 10 baby new potatoes halved and blanched
- 1/2 lb green beans trimmed and blanched
- 1/4 cup kalamata or niçoise olives sliced
- 2 Tbsp capers, drained.
- 1/2 C sliced roasted red bell pepper
- Greens, spinach or arugula for 4-6 people, approx 1 lb
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes
Nicoise Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and zest of one lemon (Meyer Lemon is nice)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 C red onion- finely diced
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, or oregano
- 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients for the fish marinade in a medium bowl and coat fish with it, marinating for at least 1/2 hour or preferably overnight.
- Blanch potatoes and green beans. Cool, set aside.
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Make Nicoise Dressing. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium-size bowl. Add cannellini beans, roasted peppers, capers, olives to the dressing to marinate.
- Grill fish over a medium-high grill, and with a metal spatula, carfully flip after 5 minutes, and if needed, lower heat or move to a cooler spot- or place on foil, or even on a bed of lemon slices, until cooked to your desired done-ness. Set aside and cover lightly with foil.
- Assemble the salad. Lay down a hearty bed of greens onto an extra-large platter. Spoon a little Nicoise Dressing from the bowl to coat the greens -and 1/2 of marinated vegetables over the greens.
- Arrange the potatoes and green beans and top with charred fish. Garnish with sliced cherry tomatoes and spoon remaining dressing (depending on the size you may not need all the dressing) and white beans/peppers over top.
- Give fish a little squeeze of lemon, cracked pepper to taste
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 538
- Sugar: 6.7 g
- Sodium: 815.9 mg
- Fat: 33.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.6 g
- Fiber: 8.1 g
- Protein: 32.5 g
- Cholesterol: 57.9 mg
So delicious and beautiful! I was in a hurry so I used canned, line caught tuna. Used both eggs and small white beans. I had a jar of Nicoise olives in my pantry. I this dish is very flexible! Thank you!
Great to hear, love how you made it work!
Made this several times now. A WOW presentation is guaranteed. Use same marinade on chicken for variety. Tastes fabulous. My go to recipe for company.
Thanks so much!
This was so full of flavor! It came out perfectly and the summer veggies with Mahi and mahi were delicious. Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed this Deb!
You recipes create the “aha” moment of discovery for me. Like travel, just through food.
For our first postdemic get together with friends, this dish was the main attraction. The fish marinade is fantastic and incorporating the salad ingredients into the dressing is brilliant! Not to underestimate the deliciousness of your celery soup, as it was our starter – one of the most subtle yet highly flavorful soups I have made. I have been cooking seriously for over 30 years, starting with Marie Colbin and eventually taking macrobiotic classes in Tokyo. You are now my “go to” for recipes from the web. I am very grateful for your willingness to share and the beautiful site and record you have created. Thank you! Joyce
Awwww thanks, Joyce, glad you are enjoying the recipes!
This is absolutely delicious and a great summer meal. I made this recipe with halibut. Because I have picky family members, I served it as a build-your-own dish, with all of the toppings separate. It was a big hit.
Where can I find the nutrition facts for this recipe?
Hi Kara, I updated the recipe and added the nutritional info!
Served this for a little dinner party. Everyone loved. Used salmon because it was all I could get here.
This came out beautifully. Used black cod and everyone love it. Thanks!
easy to make and delicious! served it with grilled salmon and without the tomatoes (I forgot to buy them).
So glad you enjoyed!
Wow! Normally I’m so-so when it comes to Niçoise salad, I like it but probably wouldn’t order it. But if I knew it was going to look like this I’d be all over it! I love the thought of the large fillets of fish and the beans and peppers sitting marinating in that dressing looks like heaven!
thanks Laura!Hope you give it a try!
Wow! This looks soooo good. It is the type of food that I would like to eat EVERY single day! As always I love your photos. Yum.