Warm Haricots Verts with Brown Butter, Almonds, and Lardons
This is a salad that belongs to French bistro cooking at its most satisfying — deeply savoury from the lardons, nutty from blanched almonds toasted in beurre noisette, with the clean snap of perfectly cooked green beans pulling everything together. The dressing is the brown butter itself, deglazed with sherry vinegar to balance its richness. The dish is served warm, which is unusual for a salad, and it converts people who claim not to like salads. It appears in various forms on bistro menus across Lyon and Paris, and in the repertoires of chefs trained in the classical French tradition.
Ingredients (serves 4)
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Haricots verts (fine French green beans), trimmed | 500 g |
| Thick-cut lardons (or pancetta, cut into small cubes) | 150 g |
| Blanched whole almonds | 60 g |
| Unsalted butter (for brown butter dressing) | 60 g |
| Sherry vinegar | 1½ tbsp |
| Dijon mustard | ½ tsp |
| Shallot, finely minced | 1 small |
| Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped | 2 tbsp |
| Fleur de sel and black pepper | to taste |
| Neutral oil (for frying lardons) | 1 tsp |
Method
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Prepare an ice bath.
- Cook the haricots verts for 3–4 minutes until just tender with a little bite remaining — they should be vivid green, not olive. Drain and immediately plunge into the ice bath for 2 minutes to stop cooking and set the colour. Drain well and pat dry with a clean towel. Set aside.
- In a dry skillet over medium heat, fry the lardons until the fat renders and the edges are golden but not hard — about 5–6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep warm.
- Discard most of the lardon fat from the pan, leaving a thin film. Add the almonds and toast over medium heat, tossing constantly, for 2–3 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.
- Make the brown butter dressing: in a small light-coloured saucepan (so you can see the colour), melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids at the bottom turn a deep hazelnut brown and the butter smells nutty — about 4–5 minutes. Watch carefully; it can go from brown to burned in seconds.
- Remove from heat and immediately stir in the sherry vinegar (it will sputter), the Dijon mustard, and the minced shallot. Whisk briefly to combine. Season with fleur de sel and pepper.
- To assemble: warm the haricots verts briefly in a large pan with a splash of water over high heat for 1 minute, just to bring them back to temperature. Drain any water.
- Arrange the beans on a platter or divide among plates. Scatter the lardons and almonds over the top. Spoon the warm brown butter dressing generously over everything. Finish with chopped parsley and a pinch of fleur de sel.
Notes
- The ice bath step is critical — it locks in both colour and texture. Beans that go straight from pot to plate turn army green.
- Beurre noisette moves fast: use a light-coloured pan (not dark non-stick) so you can monitor the colour of the milk solids. Pull it off the heat the moment it smells like toasted hazelnuts.
- This dish holds well for about 10 minutes after plating — ideal for entertaining because the warm dressing keeps the beans at a good temperature.
- Variations: swap almonds for hazelnuts (skin removed after toasting under a towel), add a fried egg on top to make it more substantial, or add a handful of cherry tomatoes halved and added raw at the end for brightness.
- Serve alongside roast chicken, duck confit, or as a starter on its own.
Dressing: Brown-Butter-Vinaigrette