Lemony Dense Bean Salad
K Kelly Duerr

Lemony Dense Bean Salad

Jun 4, 2026 | Sunny Dijon

Recipe

A protein- and fiber-packed dense bean salad with Fishwife sardines, navy beans, chickpeas, crunchy fennel, and a lemon dijon dressing. Pile it on greens, scoop it with chips, or eat it straight — it just gets better all week.

Prep 20 minServes 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 can Fishwife sardines with preserved lemon
  • 2 cans (15 oz) navy beans, drained + rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained + rinsed
  • 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
  • ½ small red onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
  • ¾ cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted + halved
  • 4 oz sheep's milk feta, cubed
  • ½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 stickpacks After Noon Our House (lemon dijon)
  • 6 tbsp Graza Drizzle olive oil
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • Lemon zest + Maldon salt, for topping (optional)

Directions

  1. Drain and rinse the navy beans and chickpeas, then let them dry off a bit — the drier the beans, the better the dressing clings.
  2. Chop everything: cucumbers, red onion, artichokes, olives, and fennel. Cube the feta, and chop the dill and cilantro.
  3. Make the dressing: shake 2 packs of Our House with the Graza olive oil and apple cider vinegar in The Shaker until smooth and creamy.
  4. In a big bowl, combine the beans, chickpeas, veggies, herbs, and feta. Toss with most of the dressing.
  5. Fold in the sardines last, breaking them into big flakes, and add the remaining dressing if needed.
  6. Top with lemon zest and a sprinkle of Maldon salt. Let it sit 15 minutes before serving — it gets better as it sits.
Sunny Dijon

Made with

Sunny Dijon

This is my “make it once, eat it all week” salad. Between the navy beans, chickpeas, and Fishwife sardines, it’s packed with protein and fiber — I ate it for lunch and snacks all week long and it somehow kept getting better. I love a salad like this because it’s super versatile: pile it on a bed of greens, scoop it up with chips (what I did of course), or eat it straight out of the bowl.

Let's make it.

Ingredients

  • 1 can Fishwife sardines with preserved lemon
  • 2 cans (15 oz) navy beans, drained + rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained + rinsed
  • 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
  • ½ small red onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
  • ¾ cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted + halved
  • 4 oz sheep's milk feta, cubed
  • ½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing

Optional

  • Lemon zest, for topping
  • Maldon salt, for topping

Directions

  1. Drain and rinse the navy beans and chickpeas, then let them dry off a bit — the drier the beans, the better the dressing clings.
  2. Chop everything: cucumbers, red onion, artichokes, olives, and fennel. Cube the feta, and chop the dill and cilantro.
  3. Make your dressing: shake 2 packs of Our House with the Graza and apple cider vinegar in The Shaker until smooth and creamy.
  4. In a big bowl, combine the beans, chickpeas, veggies, herbs, and feta. Toss with most of the dressing.
  5. Fold in the sardines last, breaking them into big flakes (a little of their preserved-lemon oil is welcome too). Add the rest of the dressing if it needs it.
  6. Top with lemon zest and a sprinkle of Maldon. Let it sit 15 minutes before serving — it gets better as it sits.

Pairs well with:

  • Salty chips for scooping
  • A bed of greens
  • An ice-cold something bubbly

Leftovers?

This is the whole point — it keeps in the fridge for 4–5 days and the flavors only get better. Hold the lemon zest and Maldon until right before serving.

tag us @afternoonfoods if you make it!

Here's to more enjoying less doing