This past weekend I went out to my friends summer cottage, where they held a traditional Swedish Crayfish Party. Don’t misunderstand me now. This is still a vegetarian blog, I won’t share any secret recipes on how to cook crayfish. I will however share a recipe for a really tasty and quick green bean salad, but first I want to show and tell you about our crayfish party.
In mid-august almost everybody in Sweden attend or arrange crayfish parties. We decorate with silly lamps. We play outdoor games (ever heard of Kubb?). We eat lots of crayfish (well, not all of us). We drink snaps, and we sing very silly songs before we drink it. We do these things because they are tradition, but like most other traditions they have little to do with why we are really there. Which is to be with our friends. To cook together, eat together, tell each other stories and laugh until late. And when those cold and dark February mornings hit us, this warm mid-August evening is what we think back upon.
Green Bean Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing
This is not a very advanced salad. It is however a quick and very tasty side dish that I could eat every day during the summer.
1 lb green beans
1 spring onion, chopped
3 tbsp Dijon mustard, preferably coarse grained
2 tsp honey
juice from 1 small/medium sized lemon
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
sea salt & black pepper
a handfull fresh parsley or cilantro
Trim the beans and put them in a sauce pan with boiling water. Remove them after 1-2 minutes and cool down under ice cold water. Let them dry on a towel, then transfer them to a bowl and add the onion. Whisk together mustard and honey. Add lemon juice, vinegar and oil and whisk for about 30 seconds. Add salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the beans, use your hands to make sure that they are all covered. Roughly chop the parsley and put on top of the beans. Enjoy!
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