Runner beans with lemon and garlic crumbs

Chef Nigel Slater recommends serving this as a lovely side dish for grilled fish.

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6 as an accompaniment

450g runner beans
2 slices from a white loaf
50g butter
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon of chopped sage leaves
1 small handful of chopped parsley
Grated zest of a lemon
 

Achieving the perfect results

• Trim the beans, pulling away any strings and slice them into short, thick pieces. I do this on the diagonal, just as my grandmother did, but it doesn’t really matter.
• Drop them into boiling, salted water and boil until they are tender – about five or six minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove the crusts from the bread. Blitz the remaining bread to crumbs in a food processor, then melt the butter in a shallow pan over a moderate heat and add the crushed garlic, sage, parsley and lemon stirring them round in the butter for a minute or so without letting them colour.
• Add the crumbs to the seasoned butter and continue cooking until the crumbs have soaked up the butter and are starting to turn pale gold. (You may find you need a bit more butter.)
• Drain the beans and put them into a warm serving dish, then scatter over the garlic and herb crumbs.