I love edamame, and my realization a few years ago that these sushi shop staples could be had at my local grocery store was very exciting for me (Is my life this dull?). In fact, bags of frozen edamame – shelled or unshelled – are so cheap that I realized how outrageous it is that restaurants will charge you $4 for tiny bowl-full and stopped ordering them when I eat out.
But even though I started buying edamame regularly, I still thought of them as nothing more than a snack. Basically a popcorn substitute for when I felt like shaking things up. I always bought the kind in the shells and gave no thought to other culinary possibilities, despite Claire’s excellent advice.
That changed last week when I reviewed a sandwich shop for the other blog I write for. My tasty panini came with a perhaps even tastier side of edamame salad that was so good, I made some myself the very next day. The salad is great warm or cold, can be made in about 5 minutes, and is a great change of pace from your standard green vegetables. What’s not to like?
Most of you probably know that edamame are soybeans, but I bet most of you don’t know – I didn’t – that they are actually unripe soybeans. Mature soybeans – like those used for oil, tofu, etc. – actually turn brown and dark before they’re picked. I have no idea whatsoever, but I’m guessing they’re not as good for snacking at this point. Who knows though, maybe they’re just not as aesthetically pleasing. Any soybean farmers out there have an answer for us?
The recipe here is honestly contained in the title. Heat frozen unshelled edamame in some fashion, and then add lemon and mint. That’s it. I warmed the edamame in a saute pan, but I actually don’t think this was the best idea. It took a while to get them evenly heated, and it started to seem like some of them were going to burn. Next time I’d follow package directions and heat them in the microwave or boil them. Just be sure to drain before dressing.
I used one bagfull of edamame, which I believe was 12 ozs. To this I added the juice of half a lemon and as much of a bunch of mint as I had the patience to chop up. I also salted it somewhat aggressively. This ratio was pretty much right, but after sitting for a few mintues, the lemony edge seemed to dissipate. I don’t know if I didn’t mix it up well enough at first or if the beans absorbed some of the lemon as they sat, but I wound up adding the juice of the other half of the lemon as well. Taste as you go and you’ll be fine, which is just good advice in general.
mmm that sounds great. i always laugh to myself when people order edamame out. it’s delicious but sooo overpriced. i like to steam mine so they don’t get soggy.