Peixinhos da Horta - Fried Green Beans

Peixinhos da Horta - "Little fish from the garden" - these wonderfully crisp green beans earned their moniker by looking exactly like a stack of the fried sardines so popular in Portugal. They're really quite good as an appetizer, side dish, or even a snack.

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Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Portuguese

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Author: My Hungry Traveler

Equipment

Large skillet, wok, or deep fryer
Microwave
Colander
Large bowl
Baking pan, wire baking rack
Whisk

Ingredients

1 lb Green beans, trimmed
¾ cup Corn or potato starch (Sub: All-purpose flour)
¼ cup Seltzer (sparkling water) or plain water
2 large Eggs
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp Black pepper

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Instructions

Heat oven to lowest possible heat. Place a baking pan with wire rack on it in the oven.
Fill a bowl filled to ¾ with ice and water. Put green beans and ⅛ cup of salted water in a plastic freezer bag or microwave proof dish. Microwave beans on high for 2 minutes and then quickly drain and dump into ice water to halt cooking. Remove from water once cooled and drain. Put them on paper towels and pat completely dry.
Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) in a deep fryer, wok, or large saucepan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, seltzer water, and eggs to create a smooth batter. Throw around 12 beans in the batter and, with your hands, shake-off any loose batter and drop them in the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer beans to paper towels, salt lightly, and then put them on the rack in the oven to keep warm. Do process again until done, making sure the oil is at temperature before frying the next batch. Serve warm with some Yogurt Dip on the side.

Notes

Water in the batter is traditional, but the Japanese use of club soda instead makes for a lighter fried coating. Either way is fine.
A mix of cornstarch or potato starch and flour is fine.

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