You can add fresh herbs to the recipe if you like, but a bit of kosher salt and pepper is all that you really need to make this perfect spring side dish with fava beans.
Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the fava bean pods into the boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds. Drain the pods. Submerge the pods in the ice bath. Let them sit for a few minutes until chilled.
Snap one end of the shell and pull the string down the seam of the pod to open the pod. There will be about 4 or 5 beans inside. Remove the beans. If the fava beans are mature, they will have a white-ish shell around the bean; peel those shells off. You should have about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of fava beans.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until the garlic starts to turn golden and soften and smell fragrant. Add the fava beans and sauté for about 3 to 5 minutes, until they are as tender as you like them. Season with salt and pepper, and add the mint, if using. Serve hot or warm with a final drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt
Notes
Try and grab a kid or a friend and have them help you get the beans shelled and peeled, and then you can have them ready to eat within minutes! If you can find young fava beans, then you don’t have to worry about peeling them, and shelling them is pretty quick work.