Grilled fava beans became something we began cooking at home after experiencing a version in Japan years ago. One of the highlights of that trip was enjoying a quiet little dinner at Asahi, an artisan soba spot so tiny it felt like you could touch all four walls from the center of the place. It was Tokyo’s only ital noodle shop (Rastafarian veg cuisine), but the noodles weren’t the only highlight. I knew we were in for a great meal when chef Koichi Nakajima started our night with two deeply charred fava beans served on a piece of paper. We split the pods open with our fingers, slipped each fava bean from its skin and popped them in our mouths one after another. It doesn’t get much better – simple, smoky, perfectly cooked, and fun to eat.
If you haven’t tried grilling fresh favas, you must! You can make them on the grill or in a grill pan, then toss them out onto a newspaper where people can dive in and make a bit of a mess with the pods and skins.
Grilled Fava Beans: Some Tips
Here are the key things to think about:
- Don’t skimp on the seasoning. Anything you put on the pods will stick to your fingers -in a good way. You can keep things simple by tossing the fava pods with a splash of olive oil and bit of sea salt before placing them on the grill. I sometimes add crushed red pepper flakes to the olive oil, or finish the favas with lemon zest or freshly chopped dill (or chives) after they come off the grill.
- Dial in your grill temperature. It’s key to getting the grill (or pan) the correct temperature – too hot and the pods char before the beans have time to steam in their pods.
- Size matters. If you encounter very young fava beans, the shelled beans might be too small for this to be an ideal preparation. I’m talking about the super tiny ones, the size of my pinkie nail. Take a peek and make sure most of your beans are more substantial than that.
Grilled Fava Bean Seasoning Ideas
Serving your grilled favas simply with a bit of salt is fantastic, but if you want a bit of an accent beyond that, here are some ideas to explore:
- Homemade Onion Powder
- Citrus Furikake
- Za’atar
- Celery Salt
- Citrus Salt
- A drizzle of chili crisp
- other homemade spice blends
More Recipes Featuring Fava Beans
- Vegetarian Paella
- Citron Noodles with Miso Garlic Butter (and favas!)
- Dried Fava Soup with Mint and Guajillo Chiles
- Jennifer also mentioned down in the comments, “I’ve been making a great fava recipe from Suzanne Goin’s book Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Fava bean puree with french feta and black olives on garlic toast. It is INCREDIBLE and has been the hit of every function I’ve gone to in the last month.” Sounds amazing.
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