Edamame, Feta & Lemon Salad

There are certain recipes that quietly become the thing people ask about after gatherings.

This salad ended up being one of those.

It was designed to feel fresh, bright and substantial enough to sit alongside a long lunch or shared dinner table without feeling overly heavy. Since then, it’s become one of those recipes we keep making in smaller versions at home too.

It works surprisingly well in a lot of different ways:

• served as a side salad for dinner
• piled onto toasted sourdough almost like bruschetta
• added into wraps for lunch
• brought to picnics or shared lunches
• meal prepped for the week ahead

The combination of salty feta, preserved lemon, mint and crunchy vegetables makes it feel very spring and summer coded, but because the base is mostly edamame and kale, it’s also filling enough to work as an actual meal rather than just a side.

One of the best things about it is that it holds up well in the fridge too, particularly if you leave the feta until just before serving.

Edamame, Feta & Lemon Salad

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 cup frozen edamame beans
• ½ cucumber
• ¼ cup kale, finely chopped
• 20g fresh mint, finely chopped
• ½ preserved lemon, finely diced
• 40g feta

Dressing

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Start by making the dressing directly in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, then whisk together.

Cook the edamame according to packet instructions, then drain and allow to cool slightly.

Finely chop the cucumber, kale, mint and preserved lemon. The smaller everything is chopped, the better the texture of the finished salad tends to be.

Add the edamame and chopped ingredients into the bowl with the dressing and toss well to combine.

Crumble over the feta just before serving.

Notes

If preparing this salad ahead of time for lunches or entertaining, it’s best to leave the feta off until just before serving so it stays fresh and doesn’t become overly soft once mixed through.

This salad keeps well in the fridge for a few days and is easy to adapt depending on what you have on hand. It’s also particularly good served alongside grilled vegetables and warm sourdough.