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Dinner Tonight: Grilled Lemon, Green Bean, and Red Onion Salad
The idea of grilled green beans had never occurred to me until yesterday, when I was contemplating a bag of them from a market haul in the refrigerator, and what to make for dinner. I already had a few beautiful pieces of wild salmon destined for the grill, and the idea of a steamed green bean salad next to the robust taste of the salmon wasn't exciting me much. So I figured, why not let let the green beans join the salmon on the grill?
The real inspiration, though, came when I had already thrown the red onion on the grill and was thinking about how to dress the salad. That's when I flashed back to a restaurant dish I had once: a braised lamb shank served with a grilled lemon half. I remembered the bright, smoky acidity as particularly haunting. Turns out that grilling lemon is surprisingly effective, making it juicier and mellow. Combined with olive oil, it made a wonderful warm dressing that tied everything together.
Grilled Lemon, Green Bean, and Red Onion Salad
About the author: Blake Royer founded The Paupered Chef with Nick Kindelsperger, where he writes about food and occasional travels. He is currently living for the year in Tartu, Estonia.
Dinner Tonight: Grilled Lemon, Green Bean, and Red Onion Salad
About This Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound tender green beans, stringy ends trimmed
- 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges, root left intact to hold layers together
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small lemon, cut into wedges
- Salt and pepper to taste
Procedures
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1
Toss the red onion with a tablespoon of the oil and place on the grill over high heat. Cook, turning occasionally, until soft, charred, and caramelized.
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2
In the meantime, toss the green beans with another tablespoon of oil and, using a grill vegetable tray or basket, grill them for 7 to 10 minutes until soft. If the beans are tougher, boil them until half-tender before grilling.
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3
When the green beans and onion are close to finishing, lay the lemon slices carefully on the grill over high heat and cook for 5 minutes, until charred.
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4
Toss the vegetables with remaining oil and squeeze the grilled lemon over everything. Season with salt and pepper.
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