Courgette, feta & butter bean salad made with a glass of Picpoul de Pinet in mind. It’s a dry, zippy white, so everything here stays light and bright to match it.
The courgettes are cooked quickly, left with a bit of bite, their edges catching in the pan. They go into the dressing warm, to suck up all its flavour.
The dressing leans towards a salsa verde – lots of herbs, garlic, capers, lemon. It’s sharp enough to lift the beans, but still gentle. With the Picpoul, it all feels a little more alive; the acidity in the wine picks everything up and keeps it moving.
There’s softness from the beans, salt from the feta, and a bit of crunch from the hazelnuts. Nothing heavy, nothing too fussy. It’s a gorgeous easy dish – a perfect weekend lunch.
HERBY COURGETTE, FETA & BUTTER BEAN SALAD
A courgette & butter bean salad with herbs, lemon and feta. Light, fresh, and made for warmer days.
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 2 large courgettes (or 3 smaller ones), roughly chopped
- 700 g jar butter beans drained & rinsed
- 35 g hazelnuts toasted & roughly chopped
- 100 g feta
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
for the dressing
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 10 g parsley finely chopped
- 10 g basil finely chopped
- 10 g mint finely chopped
- 1 tbsp capers roughly chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- juice 1/2 lemon
- your best extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
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Start by making the dressing. Combine the garlic, parsley, basil, mint, capers, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and a good pinch of salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Add just enough of your best extra virgin olive oil to cover the herbs, then give everything a good stir. Taste and adjust the seasoning and/or lemon, if needed.
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Next, heat a griddle pan over a medium heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Once hot, fry the courgettes, cut side down for 3-4 minutes, until golden and slightly charred. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with salt. A quick note: cooking them this way leaves them a little al dente – which is how I like them. If you would prefer them softer, you can griddle them on both sides!
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Combine the butter beans and the dressing in a mixing bowl, and stir to coat the beans. Add the courgettes and mix them gently through, too.
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Serve the salad on a serving dish, or between plates. Finish with the toasted hazelnuts and a good grind of black pepper. Crumble over the feta just before serving.
If you love this Courgette, Feta & Butter Bean salad recipe, you’ll love this recipe too: Collapsing Courgettes on Toast.
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