Why This Recipe Works

The key to a knockout salad that’s quick to prepare is using a short list of ingredients that have big flavors and varied textures. For this recipe, we chose a combination of creamy butter beans and chickpeas (but you can use any white beans of your choice), crunchy asparagus and cucumber, fragrant olives, and bright herbs, all tossed in a vinaigrette anchored by bright, floral preserved lemon. It comes together in minutes and is equally at home at a picnic or barbecue or on the dinner table. Letting the salad sit for 30 minutes gives the flavors time to meld.

Before You Begin

We love the combination of large, creamy butter beans and small firm chickpeas, but you can use whichever beans you prefer. You can use store-bought preserved lemons or you can make them yourself. If using salt-preserved lemons, be sure to rinse them before using them in this recipe. If using preserved lemons in brine there’s no need to rinse them; just drain them before chopping.

Instructions

for the dressing

Whisk ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ½ cup finely chopped preserved lemon, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, and ¼ teaspoon table salt together in large bowl. Season with salt and honey to taste. (Dressing can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

for the salad

Add 1 rinsed can butter beans; 1 rinsed can chickpeas; 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, chopped coarse; 4 ounces thin asparagus, trimmed and sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick; ½ English cucumber, cut into ¼-inch pieces; ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley; and 1 small minced shallot to dressing in bowl and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to 24 hours. (If refrigerating, bring salad to room temperature and season with extra salt and lemon juice to taste before serving.) Serve.