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Buttered Fava Bean Salad

Buttered Fava Bean Salad with Soft-Boiled Eggs | Naturally Ella
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A fresh, spring salad using fresh fava beans lightly cooked in butter, lemon zest, and dill then tossed with spinach and rye bread.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound unshelled fava beans
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 2 ounces crusty rye bread
  • Zest from 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh minced dill
  • 2 rough cups baby spinach
  • 2 soft-boiled eggs
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

  • Prepare fava beans. Bring a pot of water to a boil with a hefty pinch of salt and prepare an ice bath. Shell the favas and place in the boiling water. Boil for 60 seconds and immediately transfer to an ice bath. Once cool, shell the favas by piercing with your thumb and removing the inner-most bean.
  • Shred the rye bread by grated, pulsing in a food processor, or pulling apart with your fingers. I like to have small crumb-like pieces and a few slightly larger pieces to vary texture. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a pan over medium-low heat and add the bread. Toast until the bread is golden and the crumbs have crisped. Transfer to a boil.
  • Wipe out the pan and return to a low-heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoon of butter along with the lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Add the shelled favas and cook for roughly a minute, just to warm the beans. Remove from heat and stir in the dill.
  • Place spinach in a large bowl. Add the favas along with most of the toasted bread. Toss together then top with sliced soft-boiled eggs, the remaining toasted bread, and a sprinkle of dill.

Notes

Tips & Tricks: I follow this method for making soft boiled eggs.

Fava beans can be eaten out of the shell but I find most beans to be a bit older and have a tougher exterior. I recommend shelling a second time as the end result is a beautiful, creamy bean. 

Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: spinach, butter, dill

Nutrition: see the information.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://naturallyella.com/fava-bean-salad/