Five minutes at the stove, done at the last second. The gremolata does all the work.
Serves 6 · Prep 10 minutes · Cook 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and bone dry
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp flaky salt, divided
Method
- Toast the almonds. In a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until golden and fragrant — about 4 minutes. Watch closely; they go from golden to burnt fast. Tip onto a plate to cool.
- Make the gremolata. Chop the cooled almonds roughly and combine with the garlic, parsley, lemon zest, olive oil, and half the flaky salt. This can sit at room temperature for hours.
- Blister the beans. Get a large skillet screaming hot. Add the neutral oil, then the beans in a single layer. Leave them alone until they blacken in spots, then toss and repeat. They should still snap.
- Dress and serve. Off heat, spoon the gremolata over the hot beans and toss. Finish with the remaining flaky salt. Serve immediately.
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⚠️
The beans must be bone dry going into the pan or they steam instead of blister. Work in two batches if your skillet isn't big enough — crowding kills the char. These are a serve-immediately dish; they won't survive sitting on a buffet.
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📖
What's gremolata? Traditionally just parsley, lemon zest, and garlic chopped fine — a raw Italian condiment spooned over rich braised dishes to wake them up. This version adds olive oil and toasted almonds so it spoons rather than sprinkles.
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