Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad (Whole30, Paleo-, AIP-friendly)

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What’s Inside: A spin on my favorite, classic salad. This Paleo-friendly Nicoise Salad is easy and delicious to put together. I’ve also got a handy Freezer + Pantry Checklist with easy meal templates to stick on your fridge right here.

TUNA TALK!! I grew up eating tuna sandwiches, salads, and pasta-type casseroles. You too?? It’s always been a favorite, even during my naive picky eating days… I find you either love it or hate it usually – and well, count me in as a lover. One of my favorite ways to enjoy tuna is in a Nicoise Salad. Hands down, one of my favorite salads EVER. So, of course, I made a Paleo-friendly Nicoise Salad, and the substitution possibilities are truly endless… tailor it to your taste and you’ll love it.

Now that we’ve established my love of tuna, let’s talk MERCURY. Once I started hearing about the mercury levels in tuna and some questionable sources, I definitely backed off. Living with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis makes mercury another huge concern as it directly affects the thyroid’s ability to absorb iodine (a key mineral to the thyroid) as well as the hormone conversion. YIKES. Who needs that?! We really do need to be picky about the brands we support, and we have to do our research if we care about our health and our planet’s. Heavy metals are a major contributor to the rises in Autoimmune Disease among other illnesses now at days, and while of course, we can’t rid our lives of all the toxins, we can do our best to minimize them. Luckily, there are amazing and knowledgeable brands out there trying to help. That’s why I’m excited to team up with Safe Catch who tests every single fish for mercury and guarantees the lowest mercury of any brand, you can read more about that here. I appreciate having a brand in my kitchen that I can feel more confident about consuming (and I normally stick to 1x/week or less).

To take things up a notch, I’m using the Ahi Tuna Steak as my tuna and it is ah-meezing, and if you haven’t tried it, you must!! I love that it’s available in the can like this now, making it much more convenient. ALSO! When using Safe Catch, do not drain the can! There’s no added water, oils, or fillers, so the liquid in the can is actually all the natural, healthy fish oils and omegas. So you can pour the contents into the salad, and mix it together so it reabsorbs into the tuna. Voila!

Here’s why this salad is my favorite:

ALL THE TEXTURE – The crunch from the green beans (if you chose to include them), the soft boiled potatoes, creamy olives, crisp red onion, cucumber, and lettuce, and of course that meaty tuna. Normally, boiled eggs are also in there, but I’m off eggs at the moment so they’re off the plate! (again so many ways this tuna could go!! you could throw in cherry tomatoes if it’s your thing, too)

I really love the care that goes into this salad, since some of the ingredients are cooked, it’s not as fast as your average salad but still very easy (we’re talking boiling, here)… and well worth the effort.

THE FANCY FACTOR – It’s French guys, enough said. Serving a plate like this for people to make their own plates with is fancy AF if you ask me.

Simplicity – simple is always best, and a salad that can be both simple in its fresh whole-food ingredients while also seem so fancy. Your favorite vinaigrette always pairs perfectly too.

Using a low-mercury tuna makes this even more satisfying. We’re not skipping out on the Omega-3’s, rich protein, and fats in this salad. In fact, we’re PACKING IT IN!!

Alright, enough talking and more cooking. On to the food!

Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad

4.50 from 4 votes

(Whole30, Paleo-,AIP-Friendly) Packed with protein and healthy fats, this fancy and yet simple salad will nourish you with all the textures and flavor it has to offer!

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Author: Alison Marras

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Yield: 4 people

1x2x3x

Ingredients

Salad

• 4+ cups butter lettuce (or greens of choice)
• 2 cans Safe Catch Ahi Tuna*
• 1 cup green beans (omit for strict paleo & AIP)
• 1/2 English cucumber, sliced thin
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/3 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted
• 1 small white sweet potato, sliced
• pinch sea salt
• 1/2 tsp dried herbs de Provence (optional)

Dressing

• 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard (omit for AIP, can sub 1/2 tsp raw honey)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

• Make the dressing in a small mason jar, cover and shake - store in the fridge (you will have leftovers)
• Pre-heat oven to 400f degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a mandolin-type slicer or your amazing knife skills... slice sweet potato thin (almost like chips but not quite) and lightly toss with coconut oil. Roast for approx. 20 minutes until soft but still tender (don't let them get brown). Set aside.
• Chop the ends off green beans and bring a small pot of water to boil, once boiling, add the green beans for approx. 3 minutes (just until they turn bright green) and remove. Add to cold water so they stop cooking and remain crisp. Set aside.
• Arrange your salad on a large plate with remaining ingredients and nestle in the green beans if using and the sweet potatoes. Top with your drained can of tuna. Sprinkle herbs and sea salt on top and drizzle your desired amount of dressing over top or leave on the side for serving, and enjoy!

Notes:

*Safe Catch Ahi Tuna >>

Diet: French

Course: Salad

This post was sponsored by Safe Catch. All opinions are my own.

As a reminder, I only work with brands I consume myself and would recommend to my clients and followers.

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Hope you enjoy!
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Use #foodbymars to tag your FBM inspired creations! I’d love to see!

**Alison

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