Aida’s Easy Green Bean Salad

Aida Mollenkamp makes a green bean salad with lemon dressing.

This salad couldn’t be simpler! Bring it to your next summer picnic.

Aida Mollenkamp elevates the simple green bean salad with zesty lemon and salty bites of olives and anchovies.

It’s easy to bring a potato or pasta salad to a picnic or potluck. Why not jazz things up this summer with Aida’s simple green bean salad?

In this installment of Ask Aida, Ms. Mollenkamp shows us how to prepare a bright and fresh side salad in just about 15 minutes. It’s a guaranteed hit at your next summer event. Start by blanching the green beans in boiling water. Be careful that you don’t cook them too long since you want them to retain their crunchy texture (and not mush—ick!). Stop the cooking in an ice water bath so they stay nice and bright green.

Next step is to prepare the dressing elements. Finely chop and dice the shallots, cured black olives, and anchovies and place in a bowl. Add lemon zest and juice to this and mix.

Lastly, add the drained and dry green beans to the mix with some olive oil. Mix together and voila! Serve this as a side dish to nearly anything you can think of – fish, pork chops, or ribs. Or you can think outside the box by topping a bowl of this green bean salad with a poached or fried egg. Its bright flavors will really complement anything well!

Green Bean Salad Ingredients:

  • 1 pound green beans, trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lightly packed lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon rinsed and finely chopped cured anchovies (about 2 fillets)
  • 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup thinly sliced cured pitted black olives
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

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