Esmeralda’s Salade Niçoise

Inspiration from

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame celebrates equality, no matter who you are or what you look like, you will be accepted and loved by others. Esmerelda is a bold, independent, cunning woman who helps lead Quasimodo out of the shadows and into the arms of friends.

I went with a classic French salad to fit with the location of the movie. The bold colours of the salad, the greens, reds, purples, oranges and yellows helps accentuate that acceptance and equality she promotes.

• 250g Canned Tuna
• 8 Baby Potatoes, cooked and quartered
• 5 Plum Tomatoes, halved
• 1 Gem Lettuce, shredded
• 0.5 Red Onion, sliced
• Rocket
• 4 Eggs
• 50g Anchovy Fillets
• Basil

For the dressing:

• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Chopped Parsley
• 1 tbsp Chopped Chives
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• Salt
• Pepper

We have lettuce, we have potatoes, we have red onion, rocket, tomatoes, fish, eggs. We’re just jam packing everything into this little bowl of salad. Much like the gypsy celebrations that spread through Paris, I aimed to bring something colourful for The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

This salad uses both tuna and anchovy. Whilst other recipes suggest using tuna steak, I opted for a cheaper option. After all “I ask for nothing, I can get by. But I know so many less lucky than I.”