A fast, healthy, and salty snack alternative I was surprised to discover is edamame. Plus it is super fun to eat. Edamame is often served in its pods.  You can pop the beans out of the pod in your mouth as you eat them.  So if you cook them in some tasty seasonings you can enjoy all that goodness as you pop the beans out. But the question is how do to cook edamame so you actually like it?

It just takes a few extra minutes than what you may think to take this from a “side vegetable” to a nightly snack.

How to Cook Edamame

Cooking is simple. Start with a frozen package and boil it for about 5 minutes.

Drain.

That’s where most people stop. We will add a step. Here’s where you make it yummy.

Heat a generous amount of high-quality olive oil on the stovetop. Did you know extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) should be a little bitter at the back of your throat? There is a whole science to picking the correct EVOO. There is a good resource about how to choose a quality Olive Oil over on www.truthinoliveoil.com.

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Seasonings

As it sizzles, flavor the edamame with salt and seasonings. I like to alternate with my Spicy Sea Salts like the ones pictured below from Caravel Gourmet that include varieties like Cajun, Garlic Pepper, Jalapeno, etc.  Their salts are gluten-free, no MSG, and non-GMO. I’m not much of a cook (that’s putting it lightly) but I found if I use high-quality ingredients then I don’t really have to be. I can make simple dishes with a short ingredient list.

If you prefer a non-spicy seasoning then this one is great.

I’m pretty liberal with my seasonings at this point since you are seasoning the shell which you won’t eat. However, it is fun to put the shell in your mouth and pop the beans out so you will taste the seasonings this way and it could be spicy for the kids if they get a lot of spice on their lips.

If you try to skip the pan-frying, and you salt the water during the boil or you salt the edamame after boiling and skip the pan-frying, you won’t end up with the same crispy, tasty snack. It’s worth the extra five minutes.

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That’s it! Make sure you serve immediately. They are best served warm and they cool quickly.

We love this as a side dish, or even as a late-night snack. Edamame is so much better for you than mindlessly munching on potato chips.  Once you start to cook edamame this way, be ready to stock up on it!