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Green, green, green. All we want at this time of year is GREEN. And luckily there is lots of it.
The capers really add such a nice little punch to the dressing. I think capers are one of the best unsung hero ingredients in the kitchen. They can be added whole to dish, or chopped up so they almost blend into a dressing or sauce. If you happen to be vegetarian (this is a vegetarian salad by the way) then in places where anchovies are used, capers make a pretty good stand in. A nicely nuanced briny saltiness. At least that’s what my kids tell me (no, no – my kids would never say that. Kidding! And if they did say that, I think I might make a pretty disgusted face.)
You could make this a couple of hours ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or at room temp. It actually lasts and is delicious for days, but the lemon in the dressing starts to change up the bright green of the vegetables, making them a bit more army green in color, so the overall bright green of the salad gets compromised. On the other hand, the vegetables soak up more of the tart dressing, so that’s nice flavor wise. Just not as picture perfect.
Simple, perfect, crisp-tender, goes with everything.
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Which you can actually see here – my veggies sat in the dressing for a bit before we took the photo, and you can see where the edges of the asparagus started to get a little marinated. But, boy was it good.
What to Serve with Spring Vegetable Salad
This would be delightful served alongside:
- Salmon with Polenta and Warm Tomato Vinaigrette
- Citrus Basil Shrimp Kebabs
- Poached Salmon with Cilantro Sauce
- Leek, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quiche
- Horseradish Ginger Salmon
- Simple Herbed Grilled Chicken
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Spring Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
- Kosher salt to taste
- ½ pound haricot vert or green beans trimmed and halved crosswise
- ½ pound sugar snap peas trimmed and de-stringed
- 1 pound asparagus trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon chopped capers
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 fennel bulb quartered, cored and very thinly sliced
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby. Add the green beans, sugar snap peas, and asparagus to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Drain, then immediately plunge the vegetables into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, drain and shake off as much excess water as possible.
- Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, capers, dill and salt and pepper. Add the drained vegetables and the fennel and toss to coat well with the dressing. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
When is the fennel added???
with the drained vegetables! added now – sorry about that.
This is a fantastic salad! It’s light and fresh and crunchy, all the things you crave as Spring starts to bloom.