Spring is getting closer and closer, and it deserves a warm welcome, am I right? Well, this anchovy and pea salad can be simply described as a cheerful hello to spring! It is fresh, filling, and so satisfying that you will want more and more.

This anchovy and pea salad has two components, a citrusy avocado pea spread as a base and a crisp salad made with raw Savoy cabbage, celery, rocket, red onion and marinated anchovies on top, fused with a simple honey lemon dressing.
It is a great main dish option since it is packed with protein, complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fat.

Ingredients for the anchovy and pea salad

Pearl barley: Barley has this perfect chewiness that adds texture to this salad with anchovies. It cooks in 30 minutes, which is a little considering that you need time to prepare the rest of the ingredients for this salad. If you’ve made a bigger batch over the weekend, this is a great way to use it.

Instead of pearl barley, choose hulless or hulled barley as whole-grain options to get more vitamins and minerals stored in the outer layer. These will cook significantly longer, but they are worth the effort.

Of course, other grains and pseudo-grains like wild rice, quinoa, or even pasta varieties like Israeli couscous or orzo can be great substitutes.

Peas: Peas are the base of the spread going underneath the salad.
I like to use frozen peas when making spreads, purees or soups because their colour is much more stable throughout cooking and blending.

Avocado: Avocado is here to add a touch of creaminess to the pea spread. Choose a ripe avocado, slightly soft to the touch, for the creamiest result.

Anchovies: For this salad, you will need marinated anchovies. You can buy them as a ready-to-eat product or make your own from scratch. Marinating your anchovies leaves you much room for creativity, but the bought versions can also be a tasty option.

Savoy cabbage: Savoy cabbage is a member of the Brassica family. By its looks and taste, it is closest to green cabbage, but compared to green cabbage, it has leaves that are milder and sweeter in taste and have a more ruffly texture. It can be eaten raw or cooked, but for this salad, we’ll keep it in its raw state. It will become more tender when combined with the honey lemon dressing.

You can substitute Savoy cabbage with curly kale or cavolo nero, a black-leafed Tuscan variety of kale. They will both provide similar textures and tastes and tenderise when in contact with the dressing.

Rocket: Rocket adds some bitter notes to this salad, which will balance perfectly with the sweetness of the dressing.

Celery: Even though celery is most often cooked, it is excellent when added raw to salads. It has a mild but fresh taste and is best when sliced very thin. It also gives a pleasant crunch and juiciness to the mix.
Celery leaves are also edible; you can add them to the salad too.

Red onion: Red onions are my favourite when eaten raw, which makes them the perfect salad addition. They have a mildly strong flavour, crunchy texture and vibrant colour that lifts every combo.

Ingredients for the honey lemon dressing

Dijon mustard: Dijon mustard is made from spicy brown and black mustard seeds mixed with verjuice (verjus in French) instead of vinegar. As its name suggests, it originated in the city of Dijon, recognised as the world’s mustard capital. I love how its sharp and complex flavour gives character to this salad dressing.

If you don’t like the pungency of Dijon mustard, you can use yellow mustard instead with a slightly milder flavour.

Honey: I’m using wildflower honey with a nicely balanced, mild flavour to blend well with the rest of the ingredients.

Lemon juice: Lemon juice is the only acidic component of this salad dressing, which contrasts perfectly with the honey’s sweetness and mustard’s pungency.

Olive oil: The essential to almost all of my salad dressings is olive oil. It improves the texture of this honey lemon dressing and adds herbal, bitter notes to make it even more complex in flavour.

How to cook pearl barley?

In my opinion, there are two essential things when it comes to cooking grains: the water-to-grain ratio and the speed of cooking.

The water-to-grain ratio will differ slightly for each grain, depending on how much water they can absorb during cooking. By using the adequate ratio, no water is left behind, ensuring better nutrient retention and a superior taste. Secondly, grains should be cooked on a low simmer; if vigorously boiling, they will turn out mushy and likely overcook.

When it comes to pearl barley, use a ratio of water to pearl barley of 3:1. Add rinsed barley to boiling water and cook, covered, on a low simmer for 30 minutes. When the barley is cooked, keep it covered, off heat, for another 5 minutes to cool down slightly. When five minutes have passed, transfer it to a bowl and fluff it up with a fork to prevent it from sticking.

How to make the avocado pea spread?

This avocado pea spread is made by blitzing cooked peas, avocado and lemon juice. Add peas to salted boiling water and cook on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until the pea skin is soft. While the peas are cooking, weigh out the avocado and lemon juice inside the blender cup, and when the peas are cooked and sieved, add them in.
The avocado pea spread should be thick, so no water addition is needed.

How to slice the veggies?

How to slice Savoy cabbage?

Separate a few Savoy cabbage leaves and wash them under running water. Because of their ruffled surface, they can keep many impurities inside. Lay each leaf flat on the board, and with two knife cuts, remove the midrib. Fold the leaves in half lengthwise, stack them one on top of the other and thinly slice them crosswise. The thinner you slice it, the better. It will give more volume to the salad, and the stripes will tenderise more quicker.

How to slice celery stalks?

Celery stalks have quite a particular shape that can seem more complicated to slice evenly. First, separate one celery stalk, wash it, weigh it out and cut off the piece you need. You will see how each celery stalk has a rugged, convex side and a slick concave side. The rugged side is quite fibery and unpleasant to eat, so peeling it off is better.

Once you’ve peeled it, cut it into blocks of the desired length. Lay each block flat on the concave side and start slicing it parallel to the natural lines. To finish it off, cut the slices in half lengthwise to get something looking like thin sticks.

Want more salad recipes?

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Light and fresh courgette salad

My favourite beetroot and goat cheese salad