Minted Pea and Broad Bean Salad
This is a plate of English late spring: the first peas and broad beans, a handful of mint, and little else. Both beans freeze well, so the salad is honest all year even out of season, and frozen peas are one of the few vegetables that genuinely beat fresh. Blanching and shocking keeps everything green and stops the beans at the sweet, tender stage, while shallot softened in lemon juice seasons the bowl sharply with no salt. Peppery arugula and a scatter of toasted almonds round it out. Between the two legumes it carries real protein and fiber, and it comes together in the time it takes the water to boil.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Frozen peas
- 1 1/2 cups Fava beans, frozen, shelled
- 1 whole Shallots, finely minced
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 3 tbsp Mint, chopped
- 2 cups Arugula
- 3 tbsp Almonds, toasted and chopped
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the fava beans for 2 minutes, then add the peas for a final minute. Immediately scoop everything into a bowl of cold water. This shock stops the cooking at the moment they turn tender and sweet, and it sets the green so the salad stays vivid instead of going drab and army-colored.
- Pinch each fava bean and slip it out of its pale, waxy skin. It is a few minutes of work, but the skin is tough and slightly bitter, and the bright green bean underneath is what you want; leave the peas whole.
- Stir the minced shallot into the lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes. The acid tames the shallot's raw bite and half-pickles it, so it seasons the salad sharply in place of salt without any harsh onion burn.
- Toss the peas and skinned favas with the shallot and its lemon, then fold through the chopped mint. Mint and peas are a fixed pair in English cooking for good reason: the herb keeps all that sweetness from feeling heavy.
- Pile the salad over the arugula, scatter the toasted almonds on top, and finish with black pepper. The almonds add crunch and a little richness; serve right away while everything is cold and crisp.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 160 calories, 10 g protein, 9 g fiber, 40 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
