Equipment
Ingredients
Main Produce
- 400 g french green beans, trimmed
- 50 g shallots, finely diced
- 200 g roma tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
Pantry and Seasoning
- 30 g unsalted butter
- kosher salt
- black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 104 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 11 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 515 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 16 mg
- Potassium
- 380 mg
- Calcium
- 51 mg
- Iron
- 1.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 34 mg
- Phosphorus
- 60 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 86 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 20 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 44 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.09 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.11 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 38 mcg
- Water
- 102 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes to create an ice bath. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil at 100°C/212°F. Add the trimmed green beans and boil until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon or tongs, immediately transfer the green beans from the boiling water directly into the prepared ice bath. Let them sit for 2 minutes to completely stop the cooking process, then drain and pat thoroughly dry.
In a large skillet, melt the unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the finely diced shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes to the skillet with the shallots. Gently toss and cook just until the tomatoes are warmed through and begin to release a little juice, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the dry, blanched green beans to the skillet. Toss everything together to coat the beans in the butter and shallot mixture, cooking for about 1 minute just to reheat the beans.
Remove from heat. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Transfer to a warm serving platter and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- To achieve a true French presentation, consider preparing the tomatoes concasse style: score the bottoms, blanch them for 10 seconds, peel the skins, remove the seeds, and finely dice the flesh.
- Drying the beans thoroughly after the ice bath is crucial. Any residual water will dilute the delicate butter sauce and prevent it from coating the vegetables properly.
- Haricots verts are thinner and more tender than American string beans. If using standard green beans, increase the blanching time by 1 to 2 minutes.
- The residual heat of the skillet is often enough to warm the blanched beans. Avoid keeping them over direct heat for too long, or you risk overcooking them.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. The green beans will lose some of their vibrant color due to the acidity of the tomatoes over time.
Reheating: Sauté gently in a skillet over medium-low heat until just warmed through to preserve the texture.
Troubleshooting
Green beans are mushy and drab olive-green
Cause: The beans were boiled for too long or not shocked quickly enough in the ice bath.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Repurpose by pureeing into a soup base if completely unsalvageable as a side.
Prevention: Test a bean at the 2-minute mark and ensure the ice bath is ready before the beans finish boiling.
Watery sauce pooling at the bottom of the dish
Cause: The tomatoes were not seeded, or the green beans were not dried properly after the ice bath.
Fix: Use a slotted spoon to serve the vegetables, leaving the excess liquid in the skillet.
Prevention: Thoroughly pat the blanched beans dry with a clean kitchen towel and ensure tomato seeds and excess gel are removed before dicing.
Cultural Context
Haricots verts are a staple of the French culinary repertoire, celebrated for their delicate texture and slightly sweet, grassy flavor. This preparation highlights a classic French technique where vegetables are cooked separately to their optimal textures before being quickly married together in a pan. The addition of gently warmed tomatoes and shallots reflects a provincial approach, adding subtle sweetness, acidity, and aromatic depth without overshadowing the fresh green beans.
