Lemon Garlic Green Beans
These zesty, bright green beans are mouthwateringly lemony with a savory depth from the garlic.
Ingredients
- ½ preserved lemon (or the zest of 1 lemon) very thinly sliced
- 1-3 cloves garlic (depending on how strong you want it- I use 3 cloves), minced
- 2 tsp avocado oil (or other vegetable oil)
- ½ lemon, juiced and zested (the zest is optional for garnish)
- 8 oz green beans, trimmed
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pinch Maldon salt, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan full of aggressively salted water to a boil. This will be for blanching your green beans.
- In a medium-sized skillet, heat the oil on medium-high until rippling, then add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the preserved lemon and stir, taking a moment to marvel at the chemical reaction that takes place between the copper in the lemons and the sulfur (and a few enzymes) in the garlic that turns the garlic a greenish blue color. If you don't like this discoloration, you can always use older garlic cloves (which will have lost the enzymes) or ¼ tsp of garlic powder instead. Cook for a minute or 2 and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn the burner off, but leave the skillet where it is to keep it hot.
- Place the green beans into the water and boil until they are tender but still crisp and bright green, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a ice water bath and then immediately remove and toss in the warm lemon garlic oil. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with a pinch of Maldon salt and lemon zest, and serve immediately.