“These Charred and Chilled beans from chef Matt Molina pack so many layers of textures and flavors. The beans get seared hard in a skillet, giving them a deep smoky taste in minutes. The whole batch is good enough to eat just like that, but they’re even better with other goodies that add spicy heat, onion‑y freshness and nutty crunch. The Frenchie dressing ties all those elements together and makes any salad better, so we’re giving you a bigger batch of that recipe to keep in the fridge for instant restaurant-worthy weeknight meals.” – Genevieve Ko for the Los Angeles Times
Charred and Chilled Spicy Dragon’s Tongue Beans
Print This Recipe Yield Source Adapted from LA TimesPublished
Ingredients
- 1 pound “string” beans (such as wax beans, haricots verts and dragon tongue beans, stem ends trimmed)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (plus more as needed)
- kosher salt (as needed)
- “Frenchie” Dressing (as needed, see recipe)
- 3 scallions (cut in 3‑inch lengths and thinly sliced lengthwise)
- ⅓ cup roasted almonds
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 serrano chile (very thinly sliced)
Directions
Toss the beans with the oil and salt until evenly coated. Heat a griddle or two large skillets over high heat. (Work in batches if necessary.)
When the surface is smoking hot, spread the beans in an even layer on the griddle or in the skillets and add another drizzle of oil (about a teaspoon per skillet or a tablespoon for the whole batch). When the bottoms brown and blister, toss the beans and continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until there’s a nice char on the beans but they still have a little bite, 3 to 5 minutes. Thinner beans will brown more quickly, so pull them from the heat first and place them in a large bowl. As the batches of beans cook continue to transfer them to the bowl.
Once all the beans are cooked toss them (while still warm) with about 2 tablespoons “Frenchie” dressing. Let them sit uncovered until they come to room temperature then cover and refrigerate them until chilled.
When you’re ready to serve, soak the scallions in a medium bowl of ice water until crisp, about 5 minutes, then lift out and gently pat dry with paper towels.
Put the almonds on a cutting board and crush with a heavy skillet or the flat side of a knife until they crack into smaller pieces. On the board, drizzle the nuts with ½ teaspoon olive oil, sprinkle with ⅛ teaspoon salt and toss until evenly coated. Transfer two-thirds to the bowl with the beans. Add scallions, lemon juice, and as many of the chile slices as you like and toss well. Taste and add more dressing if needed. Transfer to serving plates, top with remaining almonds and serve immediately.
