Beer Battered Green Beans

Not too long ago, we stopped for lunch at a new burger joint in Milwaukee. Oscar’s Pub and Grill has a fairly decent menu and pretty good food. One of the menu items that stood out to me was the ‘Big Basket’ which included basically an array of fried foods. But there was something that I had never had before, and it was fried green beans. I fell in love with them, and after politely asking Oscar about the idea, he kind of gave me a sour response which somewhat turned me off. What Oscar did not know is that I inspected every bite of the green bean, and more importantly that I can easily recreate dishes, making them my own. In this case, I did recreate them, and in my opinion, made them much better.

See Oscar’s had a thicker coating on the green bean, hiding the beauty of the green bean, and my take was to add a standard beer batter, making them lighter and evenly delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 12 oz of an amber beer (I used Sprecher Amber)
• 1 lb of fresh green beans, washed and patted dry
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups of canola oil
• Pinches of salt for extra seasoning
• Pinches of black pepper for extra seasoning
• Your favorite dip (I made a red curry paste and mayonnaise combination)

Begin by heating your in large saucepan on medium to high heat  until it reaches a temperature of 350 degrees.

During this time, mix the salt and flour in a large bowl, and begin whisking in your beer.

Add in your green beans and gently toss and mix until all beans have been coated. You can do this in batches as well.

Gently drop about 6-10 beans in the oil, cooking until a light golden brown. These cook fairly quickly and should be ready in a few minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towel, or use a strainer with a plate underneath, and lightly season with salt and pepper.

Repeat until all green beans have been fried.

If you have never had a fried green bean, you should. I only say that because it could be one of the best fried foods you will ever try. Biting into one yields the perfect green bean. The bean still retains a mild snap while the beer batter, well, that just adds more yumminess. Dip the beans into your favorite dip and watch how others around you are delighted while eating them. Enjoy.