Chickpea and green bean salad with preserved lemon mayonnaise and crispy onions

Mayonnaise should not just be reserved for the potato salads, but also works really well with chickpeas as the core ingredient. The preserved lemon addition makes the mayonnaise feel a lot lighter as a dressing and along with some coriander, makes for a really fresh and crisp lunch or side dish.

You won’t need all the mayonnaise you make for this recipe but it keeps in the fridge for a few days.

To make this an even quicker recipe you could use ready made mayonnaise and crispy onions, making it a hassle free lunch you can whip up in no time.

| Serves 2 |

INGREDIENTS

For the preserved lemon mayo

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp mustard powder

175ml sunflower oil

1 small garlic clove, crushed

2 tsp white wine vinegar, or more to taste

1 small preserved lemon, seeds removed and chopped flesh and skin

For the rest of the salad

300g jarred chickpeas, drained

100g green beans

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp cornflour

1/2 tsp sumac 

Handful of coriander, leaves picked

Squeeze of lemon

Oil for frying 

METHOD

Put all the mayonnaise ingredients apart from the oil in a food processor and blitz briefly. With the Motor running, slowly poor in the oil until you reach a smooth mayonnaise. 

Season the cornflour with a pinch of salt and coat the onion slices, shaking off any excess. Heat up about an inch of oil in a deep pot over a medium heat. Once hot, add the onion slices and allow them to fry until browned and crispy, about 2-4 minutes. Stir occasionally to fry more evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper and a light sprinkling of sea salt.

Heat a small pan full with boiling water. Season, and cook the green beans for 3 minutes or until al dente then drain.

Coat the chickpeas and green beans with 3 tbsp of mayonnaise, add lemon juice to slightly loosen if needed.

Finish by topping with the fried onions, sumac and coriander leaves.