David Herbert’s seared beef, eggplant and pea salad and Thai watermelon salad

Peas and fresh herbs are great in these vibrant summer salads.

Seared Beef, Eggplant and Pea salad. Picture: Guy Bailey.

These simple, tasty salads are the result of a quick dash to the supermarket and a few ingredients from the fridge. Frozen peas and fresh herbs add flavour, texture and colour.

SEARED BEEF, EGGPLANT & PEA SALAD

¾ cup frozen peas

1 eggplant, halved lengthways and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons plain flour

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling peas

1 sirloin steak

100g baby spinach or soft lettuce

leaves, torn into bite-size pieces

50g feta, cubed

Dressing

1 green chilli, halved and chopped

Juice ½ lemon

Handful each of coriander and mint leaves, plus extra to serve

Cook peas in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes; drain and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season eggplant slices and dust in the flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan until shimmering. Fry eggplant for a few minutes on each side until collapsing and soft; set aside. Turn up heat, season the (room temperature) steak, add to pan and fry 2 minutes each side for rare, longer for medium. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes, then slice. Blitz dressing ingredients in a blender or small food processor with remaining tablespoon of oil and a splash of water. When ready to serve, mix half the dressing with the lettuce and peas, then tip onto a plate. Top with crispy eggplant and steak, crumble over feta, drizzle over remaining dressing, scatter over remaining herbs and serve. Serves 2

THAI WATERMELON SALAD

¾ cup frozen peas

125g dried flat rice noodles

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded, sliced

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

150g watermelon flesh, chopped into bite-size pieces

Handful of mint leaves, large ones torn

Handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Small handful of Thai basil leaves

Dressing

3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

4 teaspoons light soy sauce

1½ teaspoons rice vinegar

2 pieces stem ginger from a jar, finely diced, plus 2 teaspoons of the syrup

1 teaspoon chilli sauce

Juice of 1 lime

Cook peas in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes; drain. Put dressing ingredients into a small jug and whisk with 2-3 tablespoons of just-boiled water to make a smooth, runny dressing. Bring a pan of water to the boil, remove from heat; add noodles. Check after 3-4 minutes; they should be softened but retain a little bite. Drain well; tip into a large bowl. Use your hands to squash the tomatoes over the bowl, then add to the noodles. Add cucumber, spring onions, cooked peas and most of the peanuts. Drizzle over dressing, season and toss until noodles are coated. Tip in watermelon and gently toss. Tip onto a platter or into serving bowls. Scatter over herbs and remaining nuts. Serves 2 as light meal or 4 as a side dish