Peixinhos da Horta or “Little Fish from the Garden” are a delicious portuguese snack, these are cooked green beans fried with a crispy batter, delicious and very similar to Japanese tempura, thats not a coincidence since tempura were inspired by this recipe and Portuguese cooking that was shared with Japan when the Portuguese reached Japan in 1543.
The classic recipe can be made in like 1 hour, but from my experience these become way better if you cook the green beans like a day before, so they have time to rest and dehydrate a bit, so when you fry them they are creamy but still with a nice bite, the same way the batter should rest a bit, like at least 30 minutes, so in my version when its time to make these you already have cooked green beans and you will wait 30 minutes for the batter to be on point, lets check the recipe!
Portuguese Batter Fried Green Beans • Peixinhos da Horta
Peixinhos da Horta are a fantastic Portuguese snack, these deep fried batter green beans are delicious by itself, but you can serve them as a side as well as perfect for parties, picnicks and bbq's.
Ingredients
- Green Beans – 500gr
- Eggs – 2
- Beer – 100ml (Cold)
- Flour – As needed (+/- 30 gr)
- Oil – for frying
- Pepper – 1 pinch
- Salt – A pinch
Directions
- You can do this the day before, cut and cook the green beans in a pot with a pan with plenty of water and a pinch of salt. Once tender, drain and make a cut to each green been lengthwise but not completely so the 2 parts will still be connected (check the photo), this is important so it cooks evenly but also its part of the visual of the “fish”.
- Make the batter by adding the eggs and beer, season with salt and pepper, and finally mix with the dusted flour until you get a creamy mixture, let it rest for about 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil for frying, then pass the green beans through the batter and fry one by one until there are no more beans or batter left.
- Don’t put too much, you want a light batter and a golden fry, since the green beans are already cooked you only need to worry about the outside, when they are golden drain and repeat the process, dont overcrowd the frying oil.
- And that’s it after drained they are ready to serve, enjoy!
This is the best recipe with cold beer that gives a more crispy and aromatic batter, but there are some variations, if you want a more plain version you can use cold sparkling water or if you want a more soft version you can change it to milk.
This recipe for Portuguese Batter Fried Green Beans • Peixinhos da Horta was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Peixinhos da Horta de Cerveja foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 202 calories; 14 g fat; 13.5 g carbohydrates; 4.5 g protein.Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below ;D
