Like the best shared dishes, this gets better as it sits.
The single jalapeño in this dressing doesn’t tend to make these beans all that hot, but feel free to leave it out (or, better yet, add another one for more heat!). While I wouldn’t want to encourage anyone to be lax about food safety, there’s nothing iin these green beans that is going to go too bad too fast, so they are a good item for buffet tables, picnics, and the like when food will maybe be sitting out a bit longer than is optimal, no matter what the host’s intentions.
Minty Marinated Green Beans
The mint is part of their charm, for sure, but others herbs with a similar flavor intensity work as well: cilantro or dill come to mind.
Servings 6
Calories 113kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 jalapeno chile
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅓ cup loosely packed mint leaves
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more for blanching
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped almonds or pistachios (optional)
- 1 fresh red chile for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- Meanwhile, trim off and discard the tough ends of the green beans. Peel the garlic and de-stem and de-seed the chile. Put them in a blender with the mint (reserve a few leaves for garnish, if you like) lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Whirl to make a smooth dressing
- When the water comes to a boil, add the green beans and cook until just barely not-raw, about 1 minute. Drain or lift from the water and immediately dunk in the ice water to cool off the beans. When the beans are cool, drain or lift from the ice water and dry on a clean kitchen towel or layers of paper towels.
- Put the beans in a baking dish and pour the dressing over them. Toss to combine. Let them sit at least 30 minutes at room temperature and up to overnight, covered and chilled.
Notes
Note: the longer they sit, the more intense the dressing will get.
Photos: Erin Scott Studio.
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