This is a bright and punchy salad, sweet and salty with plenty of crunch. It is this combination that makes it totally addictive. After you cook the broccoli and edamame, make sure that you take care to remove as much of the moisture from them as possible. It is the most important thing you can do to ensure a successful dish. If too much water is clinging to the broccoli florets, it will water down the dressing and minimize its impact.
Broccoli, Date & Edamame Salad with Pickled Shallot Vinaigrette
This is a bright and punchy salad, sweet and salty with plenty of crunch. It is this combination that makes it totally addictive. After you cook the broccoli and edamame, make sure that you take care to remove as much of the moisture from them as possible. It is the most important thing you can do to ensure a successful dish. If too much water is clinging to the broccoli florets, it will water down the dressing and minimize its impact.
Ingredients
- ½ medium shallot, chopped finely, about 2 tablespoons
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 4 dates, pitted and chopped
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 bunches broccoli, about 2 large crowns, cut into florets and stems cubed
- 1 ½ cups shelled cooked edamame
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed
- ½ teaspoon coriander seed
- ½ cup roughly chopped parsley
- ⅓ cup toasted and salted sunflower seeds
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place the chopped shallot in a small bowl with the dates, sugar, and cider vinegar. Mix to dissolve the sugar, and allow it to sit and pickle while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Steam the broccoli for 4-6 minutes, just until tender. You don’t want mushy broccoli, so be careful not to over cook it and remove it as soon as it is done. It is really important to drain off as much water from the broccoli as possible to avoid a watered-down salad. If it seems as though the florets are retaining a lot of water, spread them out on a dish towel or several paper towels and blot dry.
- Place the broccoli, edamame, chopped parsley and sunflower seeds in a serving bowl.
- To finish the dressing, lightly crush the cumin seed and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle, or lightly blitz in a spice grinder if you don’t have a mortar and pestle. Add them to the bowl with the dates and shallots, then season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Whisk in the olive oil.
- At this point, the vinaigrette and salad can be refrigerated, separately, until ready to serve.
- To serve, toss the salad with the dressing and 2 tablespoons of olive oil until coated. Taste, and add more olive oil or salt if needed.
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