Peixinhos da Horta | David Leite | adapted from Pap’Açôrda | Makes 6 to 8 servings
The literal translation of the title of this dish is “little fish from the garden.” The name comes from the fact that once the beans are cooked, they resemble a tangle of slender fried fish that are popular in Portugal. Serve them as a side dish, a starter, or even a snack.—David Leite
convert Ingredients
1 pound green beans, trimmed
About 4 cups peanut oil, for frying
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
1. Heat the oven to the lowest setting possible. On some ovens this is the “warm” setting while on others it’s usually a temperature of 135°F (57°C). Slide in a baking sheet with a wire rack on top.
2. Cook the beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, cool in a bowl of ice water, and drain again.
3. Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large saucepan over medium-high heat to 350°F (175°C). Combine the flour, water, eggs, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl; whisk until a smooth batter forms.
4. Dip about a dozen beans at a time into the batter, shaking off any excess. Add the beans to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with more salt and then carefully scatter the beans on the rack in the oven to keep warm. Repeat the dipping and frying with the remainder of the beans. Serve whatever beens that haven’t been snatched up by spouses, kids, in-laws, neighbors with good noses. You get the picture.
[Kim V.] These beans were easy to make and the end result was fantastic. I used my deep fryer, and everyone was coming up and eating the beans as I pulled them out. Our one-year-old granddaughter couldn’t get enough of these. All of the young ones just kept eating and eating. Some of them dipped them in ranch dressing, but most ate them plain. This recipe is a keeper.
We actually used whole wheat flour (which happened to leave some excess batter). But they were perfect. Super delicious!
This is the original tempura, which [it's believed that] the Portuguese took it to Japan in the 16th century. The Italians fry almost every fresh vegetable using this technique. You can make the frying batter lighter by using carbonated instead of plain water.
Nuno, actually I have a recipe in my new book that features a batter made lighter by the use of carbonated water. It’s adapted from a recipe by José Avillez.
This looks fantastic! Growing up in an Azorean household, I hated vegetables (even sopa de couve!!) It turns out, my mother, and most women in my family, don’t know how to cook vegetables. This recipe looks great and I can’t wait to try it.
Oh thank you for posting this! Am cooking them now – and my picky 4-year-old who hates veggies just devoured two of them. Yummy!
Oh I love these things! My kids would eat them like candy when they were young.
You can actually skip the step of pre-cooking them and icing them … just slice the beans vertically in half, leaving the two halves still attached at one end. Dredge them in the batter and fry. This is how they make them in my town in Portugal and they turn out crispier this way.
Maria, I love it! I never heard of cooking them that way. I gotta try your method the next time I make these. Tell me, what town do you live in?