The crisp, sweet crunch of mangetout and vegetal bite of baby courgettes go incredibly well with the tang of citrus fruit in this lovely summery starter salad. Don’t be alarmed at the quantity of raw lemon in this dish – the effect is refreshing, rather than mouth-puckering. It is essential, though, to use really fresh, sweet little summer veg, as their natural sugars balance the acidity of the lemon.
Serves 4
4–6 baby courgettes
A few handfuls of tender young mangetout, or very fresh sugar snaps
2 small lemons
2 tablespoons olive oil
A small bunch of mint, leaves only, torn
A small bunch of dill, leaves only, roughly torn
A few pinches of sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Slice the courgettes into thin rounds, 2–3mm thick. Strip the mangetout or sugar snaps of the thin fibre that runs along the inside seam of the pod. If you’re using sugar snaps, slice them thinly on an angle. Put them into a bowl with the courgettes. Finely grate the zest from 1 lemon on to the veg.
Slice all the peel and pith away from both lemons. To do this, cut a slice off the base of each and stand the lemon on a board. Then use a sharp knife to cut down through the peel and pith, slicing it away completely, in sections. Now, working over the bowl of veg to catch any juice, slice the segments of lemon out from between the membranes, dropping them into the bowl. Remove any pips as you go. Taste and squeeze out more juice from the lemon membrane into the bowl if the salad needs more acidity.
Add the olive oil, herbs, a good pinch of sugar and some salt and pepper. Toss well, then leave to stand for 5–10 minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper and a pinch or two more sugar, if needed, then serve.
PLUS ONE Garnish the finished salad with a scattering of pea shoots and/or pea or borage flowers.
SWAPS Swap orange for lemon. Or, better still, use 1 orange and 1 lemon, instead of 2 lemons. Try using freshly picked raw baby peas instead of mangetout or sugar snaps.