A green bean only turns a true, bright green and keeps a proper bite if it gets shocked the moment it leaves the pot. French kitchens call the move blanching and shocking — a fast plunge into furiously boiling water, then straight into ice water before residual heat can keep cooking past the point of crunch. Tomato needs none of that. Left raw, it brings the opposite texture, a cool and juicy contrast the second the two land in the same bowl.
That contrast is the backbone of this green bean and tomato salad, and a loose dressing of Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil, red wine vinegar and a spoonful of Dijon mustard is there to tie it together rather than compete with it.
Here’s the full green bean and tomato salad method, from the pot of boiling water to the last scatter of basil over the bowl.
Green Bean and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
Method
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the green beans and blanch for 3-4 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender.
- Drain the beans and plunge them straight into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again once cool and pat dry.
- Whisk together the Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Season the halved tomatoes separately with a pinch of salt and set aside for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the green beans, tomatoes and red onion. Pour over the dressing and toss gently to coat.
- Scatter over the torn basil and, if using, the feta or toasted almonds just before serving.
Notes
We Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A salad like this puts the oil to one kind of work only. It never touches a pan, so whatever character Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil has in the bottle is exactly what lands on the fork, with no hot pan around to smooth any of it out first.
Mustard and vinegar do the sharp work in the dressing, but the oil is what carries that sharpness evenly instead of letting it pool at the bottom of the bowl. Whisked together properly, the three hold as a loose emulsion that clings to the beans rather than sliding straight off them.
A good extra virgin oil also brings its own grassy, peppery note along for the ride, something a more neutral oil simply doesn’t have to offer in a dressing this plain.
Our Tips
Dry the beans properly before dressing. Water clinging to them waters down the dressing and stops it from clinging the way it should.
Give the beans a hard, rolling boil. A fast boil cooks them evenly in the few minutes they need, rather than leaving some underdone.
Taste the dressing before it meets the beans. It’s much easier to adjust the balance on its own than once it’s already coating the salad.
Toss in a wide, shallow bowl. It lets you turn everything gently without bruising the beans against each other.
Salt the tomatoes while the beans are still cooking. Timed this way, neither step has to wait on the other.
Add the basil right at the end. It wilts fast once it meets a warm dressing, so it goes in last, just before serving.
How We Serve It
This salad holds its own on a table that already has a few other things going on — a roast chicken, a potjie, whatever’s coming off the braai — because it asks for no last-minute attention once it’s dressed.
Serve it just above room temperature rather than straight from the fridge. Cold beans lose some of their flavour, and a few minutes on the counter brings it right back.
For something that can carry a light lunch on its own, tip it over a bed of rocket or butter lettuce and finish with crumbled feta.
More Ways to Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A bottle of Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil earns its keep well beyond a salad bowl.
For a dressing with more going on — it’s the base of the chimichurri in our Summer Solstice Salad.
For something straight off the coals — it marinates the lamb and builds the salsa in our Turkish Kebabs with Tomato and Olive Salsa.
For bread to go alongside — it’s worked straight into the dough in our Homemade Roosterkoek.
For a chop straight from the pan — it’s in the marinade and the pan itself in our Greek Lamb Chops.
The Good Stuff About Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin sits at the top of the olive oil grading system, pressed mechanically without heat or chemical solvents and held to a strict acidity ceiling. That’s the whole reason it can carry a peppery, grassy note into a dressing this plain, where a refined oil would mostly just taste like oil.
250ml – 5L
Bottle Sizes
6x250ml / 6x1L
Case Options
Halaal & Kosher
Certified
2 Years
Shelf Life
Ways to Change It Up
Add a tin of tuna. Flaked through just before serving, it turns the side into a proper lunch.
Swap in yellow wax beans for half the green beans. Same bite, a different colour on the plate.
Grill the beans instead of blanching them. A few minutes over coals adds a smokiness blanching never will.
Swap the vinegar for lemon juice. It gives the dressing a brighter, sharper edge.
Finish with shaved parmesan instead of feta. A saltier note, with a bit more bite than feta brings.
Scatter over biltong shavings. A South African twist that adds salt and a little chew against the crunch of the beans.
Green Bean and Tomato Salad Questions
Can frozen green beans work in this green bean and tomato salad?
They can, though fresh beans keep a firmer bite. If using frozen, cut the blanching time slightly since they’re already partly cooked.
Is this better warm or chilled?
Just above room temperature is best. Fridge-cold beans lose some of their flavour, so give it a few minutes out of the fridge before serving.
Can I prep it ahead of time?
Blanch the beans and halve the tomatoes up to a day ahead, but hold off on dressing the salad until an hour or two before it’s served.
What’s the best tomato to use?
Cherry or rosa tomatoes keep their shape well once halved. Larger tomatoes work fine too, just cut into wedges instead.
Will leftovers keep?
A day in the fridge is about the limit before the beans start to soften. It’s really at its best eaten the day it’s made.
Can I take this to a braai and dress it there?
Yes, prep the beans and tomatoes at home, then toss everything with the dressing once you’ve arrived so it doesn’t sit dressed for hours.
Where can I buy Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
It’s available to order directly from oliveoil.co.za and at leading retailers across South Africa.
Ready to Make This?
Grab the bottle that turns three pantry staples into a proper dressing.
More From Our Kitchen
Turkish Kebabs with Tomato and Olive Salsa — Greek Lamb Chops — Snoek on the Braai — All Recipes
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