Serves 4-6
Ingredients
You can add and adapt to this one in many different ways; try chopped soft herbs, boiled eggs, cos lettuce, tuna, feta – the possibilities are endless!
2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced .5cm thick
Ice
Around 350g broad beans, that’s about 100g shelled beans
2-3 Lebanese cucumbers
Salt
2 very ripe, large avocados
2 tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice, plus more as needed
Chilli flakes or hot sauce, for serving
Summary
This crunchy cucumber and avocado salad is a bit of a cult classic; it’s so simple and satisfying. To help celebrate Festival of Fava down at CERES Joe’s Market Garden, we added some broadies to the mix. They joined the party with sweet, nutty style.
Cucumber, Avocado and Broad Bean Salad
Transfer the spring onions to a small bowl of ice water to crisp.
Pod your broad beans, blanch in boiling water for 2-3 mins, then refresh under cold water, peel their outer skin off and set the bright green beans aside in a bowl of cold water.
Halve the cucumbers lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut cucumbers into bite-size pieces (irregular shapes are fun!), then transfer to a colander set in the sink. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and set aside to drain, at least 5 minutes or up to 15.
When you’re ready to eat, halve the avocados and remove the pits. Using a spoon, remove the flesh from the skins, then cut the flesh into 1cm cubes. Transfer to a large bowl, add the lime/lemon juice and season with salt. Stir to combine.
Shake the cucumbers in the colander to get rid of any excess moisture, then transfer to the bowl with the avocado. Drain and shake the spring onions and the broad beans in the colander, then add them to the bowl.
Stir the salad ingredients vigorously just until the avocado breaks down a bit. The cucumbers should be glossed with avocado but the majority of the avocado pieces should still remain cubed. Season to taste with salt, lime/lemon and chilli flakes or hot sauce.
Serve immediately – so fresh, zingy and crunchy!
This recipe is by Ali Slagle.