Grilled Fava Beans

Grill fava beans in their pods for a simple and rustic side dish

It's early June and already summer produce is popping up at our farmers' market. With fava bean season nearly over, I made sure to pick up a couple pounds to enjoy before it was too late. Usually I go through the process of shelling the beans from their pods and then blanch and remove their outer skin before using them, but it's so easy to just throw them on a grill. This is barely a recipe and more of a concept - instead of going through all the prep work, just cook fava beans whole and let your guests shell and eat them like edamame. My friends had no problem eating the whole bean (skin and all), which actually has a starchier, more potato-like taste than peeled beans. It's a fun and unique side dish to serve at your next barbecue, and it's the perfect thing to enjoy on lazy afternoons and evenings when you want to sit around with some drinks and hang out.


More Fava Bean Recipes:
- Fava Bean Crostini
- Roasted Clams with Favas & Sherry
- Crab & Fava Omelet


Grilled Fava Beans:

• Heat a grill to high.
• Wash and pat dry 2 lbs. of fava bean pods and cut 1 lemon in half.
• Grill the fava beans for 3 minutes per side, or until the outsides are nicely charred and about 1/3 of the surface is blackened.
• At the same time, grill the lemons cut-side down for about 4-5 minutes.
• Transfer the beans to a platter, squeeze half of a grilled lemon on top, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt.
• To eat, pop the beans out of their pod and enjoy.

Serves four-eight (side dish)