Chef Margarida
Cenouras à Algarvia
The marinated carrots of the Algarve, where garlic, paprika, and good azeite transform a humble root into something you'll make every week. Proof that the south knows how to treat vegetables.
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Salada de Feijão Verde
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The green bean salad of Portuguese summers, dressed warm so the beans drink the garlic and azeite. Make it today, eat it tomorrow. The flavor only gets better.
Salads
Portuguese
Make Ahead
Weeknight
15 min
Active Time
10 min cook•25 min total
Yield6 servings
This is the salad that appears on every Portuguese table in summer. At baptisms and communions, at Sunday lunches that stretch into evening, at tascas where they bring it without asking because they know you'll want it. Feijão verde, dressed simply, eaten at room temperature. Nothing fancy. Everything right.
Avó Leonor made this every week from June to September, when the beans came from the neighbor's garden and cost nothing but the promise to return the favor. She'd cook them until soft, not this modern nonsense about crisp vegetables. Portuguese beans are tender. They yield. That's how they absorb the dressing instead of just wearing it.
The trick is dressing them warm. Right out of the pot, still steaming, straight into the bowl with the garlic and azeite. The heat opens everything up. The beans drink the dressing while they cool. By the time they reach the table, the flavor is inside, not sitting on the surface waiting to slide off.
This is the kind of cooking that rewards patience. Made an hour ahead, it's good. Made the night before, it's better. The garlic mellows, the vinegar softens, everything marries together. At Mesa da Avó, we make it in the morning for the evening service. By dinner, it tastes like it's been that way forever.
Salada de feijão verde has roots in the hortas (vegetable gardens) that surrounded every Portuguese village, where green beans were a summer staple grown alongside tomatoes and peppers. The dish reflects the Portuguese philosophy of cooking vegetables until properly tender, a tradition that predates the modern preference for crisp-tender produce. Dressing vegetables warm with azeite and vinegar is a technique found across the Mediterranean, but the addition of coentros marks this version as distinctly southern Portuguese.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
green beans (feijão verde)
Quantity
750g
ends trimmed
extra virgin olive oil (azeite)
Quantity
1/2 cup
garlic
Quantity
4 cloves
minced
red wine vinegar
Quantity
3 tablespoons
fresh cilantro (coentros)
Quantity
1 small bunch
roughly chopped
flaky sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more for cooking water
black pepper
Quantity
freshly ground, to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| green beans (feijão verde)ends trimmed | 750g |
| extra virgin olive oil (azeite) | 1/2 cup |
| garlicminced | 4 cloves |
| red wine vinegar | 3 tablespoons |
| fresh cilantro (coentros)roughly chopped | 1 small bunch |
| flaky sea salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more for cooking water |
| black pepper | freshly ground, to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Large pot for boiling
- •Large serving bowl
Instructions
- 1
Cook the beans properly
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. The water should taste like the sea. Add the green beans and cook until completely tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Forget everything you've heard about crisp-tender vegetables. This is Portugal, not Italy. We cook our beans until they yield to a fork, soft enough to absorb the dressing but still holding their shape.
Avó Leonor would pinch a bean between her fingers. If it gave easily, they were ready. If there was any resistance, they needed more time. - 2
Prepare the dressing
While the beans cook, combine the olive oil, minced garlic, and red wine vinegar in a large serving bowl. Add the salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Whisk together. The garlic will mellow as it sits in the oil, losing its harsh edge but keeping its presence.
- 3
Dress while warm
Drain the beans well, shaking off excess water. Add them immediately to the bowl with the dressing while they're still hot. Toss gently but thoroughly, coating every bean. This is the secret: warm beans drink the dressing. Cold beans just wear it. You want the flavor inside, not sitting on the surface.
Don't run the beans under cold water to stop the cooking. You want that heat working for you, opening up the beans to receive the dressing. - 4
Add the coentros and rest
Fold in most of the chopped coentros, reserving a small handful for garnish. Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving, tossing once or twice. The flavor deepens as it rests. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate overnight, then bring to room temperature before serving and add fresh coentros on top.
Chef Tips
- •The beans must be fully tender. Bite one before draining. If there's any squeak or resistance, give them another minute. Undercooked beans will never absorb the dressing properly.
- •Use your best olive oil here. You'll taste it directly, uncooked. Cheap oil makes a cheap salad. Splurge on the azeite.
- •This salad travels beautifully. Make it for picnics, beach days, or potlucks. It only improves sitting in the cooler.
- •Some families add sliced boiled potatoes to make it more substantial. Others add a handful of chopped olives. Both are valid. Avó Leonor kept it simple, but her cousin in Beja always added potatoes.
Advance Preparation
- •This salad improves overnight. Make it up to 24 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate.
- •Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Add fresh coentros just before bringing to the table.
- •The dressed beans keep well for 3 days refrigerated. The coentros will darken, so add fresh when serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 150g)
Calories
205 calories
Total Fat
18 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
15 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
290 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
3 g
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