Blanched Green Beans with Scallion and Soy

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Do "blanched beans" sound boring to you? I get it, but think of the blanch as just a tool to soften, and shockingly a delightful way to prepare those harder-than-you'd-like green beans. These ones, sitting in a tangy, soy sauce-y bath, will get better as they sit, so feel free to make them as long as two days ahead of time. Eat these with a grilled piece of fish, some seared chicken thighs, or crispy bits of tofu.

YIELD — 4 servings

 

Ingredients

  • ½ pounds green beans, stems trimmed

  • Kosher salt

  • ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari 

  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice, plus more

  • 6 scallions, thinly sliced

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • Olive oil, toasted sesame oil, chili oil 

Directions

1. Blanch the beans in a pot of large salted water until bright green, tender but with some snap, 90 seconds or so (this will largely depend on how thick, old and large the beans are. Always test one to see if they need a little more time).

2. Drain them and transfer them to a large bowl. Sometimes I’ll cut any egregiously large green beans in half lengthwise, which exposes their cute little beans and gives some nooks/crannies for your dressing to pool into, which I like. I do this after they are blanched so the little beans don’t fall out/they cook more evenly.

3. Add soy sauce, lime juice, a little more than half the scallions while the beans are still warm and season with salt and pepper. Season with more lime juice, if needed. It should be as tart as it is salty.

4. Drizzle with oil and top with more scallion to serve. I love these eaten immediately, but they are great over the next few days, just expect some oxidization in the color.

 
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