How to make a Swedish spring salad with an exotic twist
Sun is shining, birds are singing – the perfect time to try this fresh and fruity salad recipe by Swedish food writer John Duxbury.
Salads are very popular in Sweden, including as an accompaniment to hot food, and Swedes tend to eat salad more often than cooked vegetables. It is also quite common to include fruit such as raspberries, blueberries and strawberries in salads. In this case papaya and soya beans are added to mixed lettuce.
Edamame beans are small immature Japanese soya beans. They are usually served slightly salted as a side dish in Japanese restaurants. In the UK you can usually find them sold in tubs next to sushi dishes. In the US they are often sold in frozen food section of grocery stores.
Summary
Serves four (eight for a buffet)
Preparation: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 Papaya
150g (6oz) edamame
150g (6oz) bag of mixed salad leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
1. Thickly peel the papaya, discard the seeds and cut into small pieces.
2. Pop the beans out of the pods and add to the papaya.
3. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper together and pour over the papaya and beans. Stir to mix evenly.
4. Immediately before serving, toss the lettuce, papaya and beans together to ensure that the lettuce leaves are all coated in dressing.
Tips
- Squeeze the edamame pods at the ends to push out the soya beans. Discard the pods.
- The salad can be prepared up to step 3 an hour or two in advance and then simply complete step 4 before serving.
Recipe courtesy of John Duxbury, editor and founder of Swedish Food.
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Salads are very popular in Sweden, including as an accompaniment to hot food, and Swedes tend to eat salad more often than cooked vegetables. It is also quite common to include fruit such as raspberries, blueberries and strawberries in salads. In this case papaya and soya beans are added to mixed lettuce.
Edamame beans are small immature Japanese soya beans. They are usually served slightly salted as a side dish in Japanese restaurants. In the UK you can usually find them sold in tubs next to sushi dishes. In the US they are often sold in frozen food section of grocery stores.
Summary
Serves four (eight for a buffet)
Preparation: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 Papaya
150g (6oz) edamame
150g (6oz) bag of mixed salad leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
1. Thickly peel the papaya, discard the seeds and cut into small pieces.
2. Pop the beans out of the pods and add to the papaya.
3. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper together and pour over the papaya and beans. Stir to mix evenly.
4. Immediately before serving, toss the lettuce, papaya and beans together to ensure that the lettuce leaves are all coated in dressing.
Tips
- Squeeze the edamame pods at the ends to push out the soya beans. Discard the pods.
- The salad can be prepared up to step 3 an hour or two in advance and then simply complete step 4 before serving.
Recipe courtesy of John Duxbury, editor and founder of Swedish Food.
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