Green Beans With Snail Butter From 'My Paris Kitchen'

By
Kate Williams
Kate Itrich-Williams is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Kate Williams
Kate Itrich-Williams is a food writer, editor, and recipe developer who wrote the "Cook the Book" column for Serious Eats.
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Updated April 03, 2019
Green Beans with Snail Butter
Ed Anderson

I must admit that I bookmarked David Lebovitz's recipe for green beans with snail butter in My Paris Kitchen before looking at the recipe. Yes, I was actually excited at the prospect of cooking with snails. Alas (I suppose) these green beans are only cooked in the manner of snails, not with the garden creatures. No matter, the unapologetically garlicky snail butter is still darn good and makes a fine accompaniment to the tender green beans.

Why I picked this recipe: Snails or no snails, garlic butter is always a good idea.

What worked: Steaming the green beans before sautéing makes it easy to control the color and flavor of the garlic and parsley.

What didn't: Nothing.

Suggested tweaks: You could give this same treatment to any spring vegetable that strikes your fancy. Asparagus would be particularly nice.

Reprinted with permission from My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories by David Lebovitz. Copyright 2014. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House. All rights reserved. Available wherever books are sold.

Recipe Details

Green Beans With Snail Butter From 'My Paris Kitchen'

Active 25 mins
Total 25 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (450g) green beans, tips removed
  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces/55g) unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup (30g) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

  1. Fit a steamer basket into a saucepan. Add enough water to reach the bottom of the steamer basket. Cover the pan and heat until the water is at a low boil. Add the green beans and steam until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

  2. Remove the beans from the steamer basket and set them on a kitchen towel to drain.

  3. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic sizzles and begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, salt, and some generous grinds of black pepper. Add the green beans and stir until the beans are completely cooked and coated with the garlicky butter. Sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice over the beans, toss a few more times in the butter, and serve.

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