Peixinhos da horta — green beans in crisp batter

Prepare about 500 g fresh green beans. Wash, trim the ends and remove any tough strings. Cut into lengths about 8–10 cm. Also split wide flat beans lengthwise into strips about 1 cm wide; thin beans can stay whole. Do not weigh out 400 g yet: that weight refers to beans already cooked, drained and patted dry.

Bring 2000 g water to a boil in a saucepan without salt. Add the prepared beans and cook at a gentle boil for about 6–8 minutes, depending on thickness. They should be cooked and tender inside while still holding their shape, without falling apart. Do not stop after a brief blanch lasting only a few dozen seconds. Drain and discard the cooking water; it will not be a batter ingredient.

Place the cooked beans in a bowl with 1000 g cold water for about 2 minutes. Drain, spread on a clean kitchen towel, gently pat dry and leave for about 5 minutes until cool with a dry surface. Only now weigh out 400 g for frying. Keep any extra cooked beans separately outside this recipe; the purchase weight does not predict an exact yield.

Separate one size M egg, keeping all the yolk and all the white in separate bowls; together they weigh about 50 g without the shell. Add the yolk, all the salt and pepper to 100 g flour. Gradually mix in all 100 g very cold sparkling water to make a smooth, fairly thick base. Do not add extra water, beer or milk and do not add flour for dusting the beans.

In a clean dry bowl, whip the reserved egg white until stiff but still supple. Add to the base in two portions and fold with a spatula from the bottom upward, without further beating with a mixer. Use all the white from that same egg. The batter should coat the beans lightly and drip off slowly. Prepare just before frying; do not leave it to rest for a long time.

Use a stable high-sided saucepan about 18 cm across and holding at least 2 liters. Pour in 500 g oil; this makes a layer about 2 cm deep, below one-third of the pan height. Heat over medium heat to roughly 170–175°C. A small drop of batter should sizzle and rise straight away without darkening quickly. The oil must not smoke. Use dry tongs and a slotted spoon.

Dip 2–3 dry bean strips into the batter at a time to make small elongated portions. Lift with tongs and let excess batter drip back into the bowl. Carefully lower the portions from close to the oil surface, moving your hand away from the pan. Do not add all the beans at once and do not scrape the leftover plain batter into the oil as separate fritters.

Fry in about 6–8 small batches, each using roughly 50–70 g beans before coating. Leave space between the portions. Fry for about 3–4 minutes in total, turning halfway through, until the crust is golden and clearly set on both sides. Adjust the heat to keep the oil bubbling gently and evenly. Between batches, remove loose crumbs before they start burning.

Lift out the cooked portions with a slotted spoon. Place on paper towels for about 15–30 seconds, then on a rack in a single layer, without covering or stacking. Serve each batch as it is ready, dividing all the fried beans into 4 snack servings. Discard unused raw batter. The remaining oil is not part of the servings. Do not add unmeasured sauce, lemon or herbs.

After frying, turn off the burner and leave the oil to cool completely before pouring it into another container; do not pour it down the drain. The finished food is best eaten immediately. Refrigerate any leftovers in a shallow container within 2 hours and use the next day. Reheat without extra oil on an uncovered baking sheet at 180°C for about 8–10 minutes until hot inside. The crust may be less crisp after storage.