I have sort of a strange backstory for this salad. There was a small memorial gathering for a friend, just close family and dearest friends. As one does in these sad times, I wanted to provide some comforting food. Someone had arranged one of those online sign-up rosters and by the time I got the link, the only slot left was green beans. Now, I was pretty sure someone was imagining “funeral beans” as we call them – a classic creamy green bean casserole (there is a modern version in my Southern Sympathy cookbook). But as I looked over all the other dishes people had volunteered, I just thought another heavy, rich casserole that had to be heated was too much. So I decided to make a green bean salad. But I wanted it to be fresh and different and light. And something I could drop off as instructed. I frankly cobbled this idea together pretty quickly. Fennel and feta added the twist, crunchy almonds for texture, a bright lemon dressing to set it all off. At the last minute, I thought I should add a tribute to the classic casserole recipe with fried onions, but I only had a shallot. So I prepared all my elements, put the dressed beans in a disposable bowl, added baggies with the feta, almonds and shallots and a quick note to just throw them on top before serving. (I also delivered some biscuits and pimento cheese because I always deliver biscuits and pimento cheese). That was that. I felt some small comfort that I had expressed my sympathies and maybe made things a little easier. But in the following days, three people contacted me for the green bean salad recipe. I was flummoxed. There wasn’t really a recipe, I’d just kind of winged it. But I gathered my ingredients again and worked out a proper recipe and sent it on. And it sat in my files for a while. Then at Thanksgiving, a totally different person from the event asked for the recipe. And after that, someone told me they had had “my” green bean salad at someone’s house and got the recipe from them. So when I found some glorious fresh green beans at the farmers’ market, I decided ot was time to revisit and share this perfect summer salad.
Blanching the beans first keeps the bright green color, but the second cooking keeps them crisp but not raw. Use a block of feta cut into small chunks rather than pre crumbled – the crumbles just create a thin dust rather than the nice bite of tangy cheese. For transport, make the beans ahead, then put the cheese, almonds and shallots in separate baggies and sprinkle over the top right before serving. The crispy shallots add a fantastic texture contrast with a fresh, bright flavor, but you can use packaged fried onion topping for salads if you absolutely must.
Ingredients
- For the Salad
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 small bulb fennel
1 (8-ounce) block feta cheese, cut into small cubes
8 ounces sliced almonds
Fried shallots (see below)
- For the Dressing
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
- For the Shallots
3 – 4 large shallots
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Directions
- For the Salad
- Fill a large bowl or sink with ice water. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil, then add the green beans. Cook for about 3 minutes until the beans are bright green. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the beans to the ice water. This will keep the lovely bright green color. Bring the pot of water back to the boil and return the beans to the boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Drain completely, then pat them dry with a tea towel. Place in a large bowl.
- While the beans are cooking, cut the fennel bulb in half and cut out the core. Very thinly slice the halves on a mandolin or with a sharp knife. Add them to the bowl with the drained beans. The beans can be kept covered and refrigerated at this point up to a day.
- Before serving, add the feta cheese, almonds and shallots.
- For the Dressing
- Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake until well combined. Pour the dressing over the beans and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- For the Shallots
- Peel the shallots and slice them into thin rings. Separate the rings and spread them out in one layer on paper towel. Leave to dry for several hours or overnight. This is what makes them crispy and not greasy. When ready to cook, have a large slotted spoon or kitchen spider ready next to a paper towel lined plate. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and drop in handfuls of the dried shallots for just a few seconds until they are golden brown and remove immediately with the slotted spoon to the towel lined plate. Work in batches and don’t crowd the pan until all the shallots are cooked.
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