Green bean tomato salad with cilantro lime mustard dressing
This green bean tomato salad with lime marinated onions (cebollas encurtidas) and a cilantro lime mustard dressing reminds me both of Ecuador and France. Adding what we call a curtido (vegetables like onion and tomato pickled or marinated with lime juice) to a salad is very common in Ecuador.
You will find variations of this salad all over Ecuador. Some add additional vegetables like carrots, broccoli, corn, other types of beans, melloco, and more. A melloco is a delicious tuber that looks like a small pink potato but has special texture. It’s an acquired taste for some and I’ll admit I wasn’t a fan of mellocos when I was kid, but now I absolutely love them.
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In France, my in-laws make a very similar salad with green beans and tomatoes. It’s one of their go-to summer salads and the best variation is when they use their homegrown tomatoes. They usually don’t include cilantro, sometimes basil instead. This salad can be made with regular green beans, but also works great with wax beans (ie the yellow ones) or romano beans which are the flat wider green beans.
The addition of mustard to the dressing is something that I’ve tried both in the French version and in some Ecuadorian variations. The French one uses Dijon style mustard (of course), it can a regular one, a spicy one or an ancienne style mustard – the one with the seeds in it. In Ecuador, when it included mustard it was the yellow mustard and just a small amount was added for a very subtle flavor. You can pick the one you prefer.
You can prepare all the components for this green bean salad ahead of time: cook the green beans, make the lime marinated tomato and onion curtido, and the salad dressing. They can be refrigerated and keep until ready to serve. Then simply toss the cooked green beans with the dressing and add the tomato onion curtido on top right before serving.
Green bean tomato salad with cilantro lime mustard dressing {Ensalada de vainitas con tomate y cebolla}
Ingredients
- 1 lb of green beans
For the lime marinated tomato and onion curtido:
- 1 red onion sliced
- 2 tomatoes sliced or diced
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt to taste
For the lime cilantro mustard dressing:
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil add more or less based on your preference
- 1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard regular or spicy, add more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To cook the green beans:
- Wash and trim the edges of the green beans. You can keep them whole or cut them in half, depending on your personal preference.
- Cook the green beans in boiling water until they are bright green and tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain them and let them cool down in ice cold water to keep from overcooking and turning brown. Drain the ice water when ready to prepare the salad.
To make the lime marinated tomato and onion curtido:
- Rinse the sliced onions with cold water to remove the spiciness/bitterness. If they’re very spicy you can soak them in cold water for 5-10 minutes.
- In a bowl add the rinsed onions , diced or sliced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste. Mix well and let marinate for about 30 minutes.
To make the lime cilantro mustard dressing:
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk with a fork. You can also put the ingredients in a small jar with a lid, close it and shake it. Taste and adjust the mustard or salt/olive oil to your taste.
- To assemble the green bean salad, toss the cooked green beans with the cilantro lime mustard dressing.
- Add the lime marinated tomato and onions on top. Mix well and serve.
Step by step preparation photos for the green bean tomato salad with cilantro lime mustard dressing:
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