Chickpea salad

A crisp, no-cook chickpea salad with cucumber, tomato, red onion and lemon — light, vegetarian and on the table in 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• chickpeas300 g
• cucumber1 pcs
• tomatoes2 pcs
• red onion1 pcs
• lemon juice2 tbsp
• parsley1 bunch

Method

1. Prep the vegetables. Dice the cucumber and tomatoes into roughly 1 cm pieces, and finely slice the red onion as thinly as you can — a sharp knife makes all the difference here. Roughly chop the parsley, stalks and all if you like a bit of texture.
2. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Tip the chickpeas into a sieve and rinse well under cold running water, then shake off any excess water. This removes the tinny flavour from the liquid and keeps the salad fresh-tasting.
3. Combine everything. Add the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and parsley to a large bowl and toss together so everything is evenly distributed.
4. Dress and season. Squeeze over the lemon juice, drizzle with a little olive oil if you like, and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss again and taste — the lemon should be bright and punchy rather than shy.
5. Rest, then plate. Leave the salad to sit for 5 minutes so the flavours meld, then spoon into bowls or onto a serving plate. Eat straight away for the best crunch.