Tuna Nicoise 2

It’s probable that there may be no standard dish interpreted and bastardized in as many ways as the Tuna Nicoise. This is the second time I have done a rendition of it on the blog, and both times as an amuse bouche. The first version of this - as most seem to – featured rare tuna. Though I can’t stand the tuna one finds on the supermarket shelves, I am a nut for the robust flavors of this salad. This stays closer to its roots than the 1st take as it’s made with  tuna that I slow cooked for a couple hours in olive oil flavored with garlic and lemon zest at 125 degrees. Once it was cooked, the tuna was shredded and then combined with a sun-dried tomato & olive tapenade we use as one of three spreads with our lunchtime bread service. 
There are several ingredients any variation should have aside from the tuna. Potato, cucumber, nicoise olives, boiled egg, and haricots vert (missing here!) are all practically mandatory. Beyond that, tomatoes and/or peppers, fennel and anything else from a French Riviera garden can be found.