Grilled Seafood Salad Nicoise

ingredients

• the dressing
• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-styled mustard
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 pound 1 inch-thick tuna steak, cut into 6 pieces
• 1 large yellow squash, cut into 0.25 inch-thick slices
• 9 jumbo shrimp, shelled and halved lengthwise
• 12 large sea scallops
• 1 pound green or wax beans or a combination, trimmed and cut into 2 inch lengths
• red-leaf lettuce for lining the plates
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 cups red or yellow cherry tomatoes or a combination, quartered
• 1 cup drained Niç,oise olives (available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets)

directions

Make the dressing:

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, the mustard, the anchovy paste, the thyme, the sugar, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until it is emulsified.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the dressing in another small bowl, arrange the tuna pieces and the squash slices on a baking sheet, and brush them lightly with the reserved dressing. In a bowl toss the shrimp and the scallops with 2 tablespoons of the remaining dressing. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes. In a kettle of boiling water cook the beans for 5 minutes, or until they are crisp-tender, drain them in a colander, and refresh them under cold water. In another bowl toss the beans with 3 tablespoons of the remaining dressing.

On a rack set 5 inches over glowing coals grill the tuna for 2.5 minutes on each side, the shrimp for 4 minutes on each side, and the scallops and the squash for 6 minutes on each side, transferring the seafood and the squash as it is cooked to a platter.Line 6 plates with the lettuce, on each plate arrange 2 scallops, halved horizontally, 3 shrimp halves, and 1 piece of tuna, sliced diagonally, and divide the squash, beans, roasted pepper, tomatoes, and olives among the plates. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salads or serve it separately.