When chives peak in springtime, make this super flavorful salad with chives and chive flowers: double the oniony goodness! This salad is light and fresh, with crunch from cucumbers, fennel and snap peas, and creamy from an addictive cashew-chive dressing that brings all the flavors together.
I was waiting for chive flowers to, well, bloom. I knew they’d show up soon—I have a running list in my head of seasonal produce and their peak times—and yesterday I found them. Long green, crunchy stems and perfect purple flowers. If you haven’t tried chive flowers before, let me tell you that they’re fantastic. They have a more intense oniony flavor than do the stems, but it’s not overpowering—they’re quite a treat, and a wonderful salad accompaniment, especially in this salad.
I chose fresh and rather neutral springtime produce so that you can pair a bite of cucumber, snap pea or fennel with a chive flower—a delicious contrast. I cut the cucumbers on a bias because it’s my favorite way to enjoy them, but certainly cut them as you choose! Similarly, you can use the pods of the snap peas—I just chose not to!
The dressing is heavenly, and though it, too, has chives, the oniony flavor of the dish isn’t overpowering. It all works together. The dressing is thick as indicated in the recipe. If you’d like it thinner, add another 1/4 cup of water—but taste for salt and potentially add more to maintain flavor.
I was pretty light on herbs—just basil—since there are a lot of other flavors going on. But certainly if you’d like to include the fronds of your fennel, go for it—they add only more freshness! Mint could work here, as well.
The necessary tools for this recipe are a blender and a good cutting board and knife. Enjoy, and leave a comment below if you try it! Or tag me on Instagram if you post it!
When chives peak in springtime, make this super flavorful salad with chives and chive flowers: double the oniony goodness! This salad is light and fresh, with crunch from cucumbers, fennel and snap peas, and it's creamy from an addictive cashew-chive dressing that brings it all together.
30 minutes
30 minutes
Step 1
Prepare the vegetables. Either peel the cucumbers or leave the skin on, as I did. Chop your cucumbers on a bias. Open the snap peas to remove the peas. Thinly slice the fennel. Add the vegetables to a serving plate or platter and set aside.
Step 2
Prepare the chives for the salad and dressing. Carefully chop off a handful of chive flowers, as many as you wish. Set aside. Chop 6 tbsp chives. Reserve 4 tbsp for the salad. Add 2 tbsp to a blender for the dressing.
Step 3
Add to the blender the cashews, apple cider vinegar, 3 tbsp oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, maple syrup, 1/2 tsp salt and water. Blend, using a tamper if necessary. If you’d like a thinner consistency, add another 1/4 cup of water. But taste for salt if you do, so it’s not watered-down. Add the dressing to a bowl.
Step 4
Sprinkle the 4 tbsp chives over the vegetables on the platter. Add the dressing to the vegetables, or leave it on the side. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle more salt. Finally add the torn basil leaves and chive flowers.
*To soak the cashews, there are three options. The first option, soaking overnight or for 5-8 hours at anytime, keeps the cashews fully raw. Cover with room-temperature water in a bowl overnight, and then drain and rinse. Or you may bring a pot of water to a roiling boil, turn off the heat, toss in the cashews and cover the pot. Leave in for 30 minutes and then drain and rinse. The final option is to boil the cashews. Add the cashews to a pot with water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil and boil for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain and rinse.
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