Bring a small (2-quart) saucepan of water to a boil as you
remove the fava beans from their pods. Fill a small bowl with
ice water. Blanch the beans by dropping them into the boiling
water and cooking for 1-2 minutes, just enough to loosen the
tough skins. Scoop the favas out of the boiling water with
a metal skimmer or strainer and drop into the ice water to
“shock” them and stop the cooking process. Peel the tough skins
off each bean, reserving the tender inner beans and tossing the
peeled skins.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon zest,
vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a larger mixing bowl, mix favas, cucumber, and shaved fennel
with basic vinaigrette from the small bowl. Top salad with
toasted walnuts and shaved parmesan.