Grilled Wax and Green Beans with Tomatoes, Basil and Spicy Fish Sauce Sauce

This is another classic McFadden recipe i’m poaching. I just can’t get enough of his stuff. Especially since most of the ingredients are found at the farm. This is a great side to some delicious salmon, for those of you that have been lucky enough to be fishing since they opened up at Lake Wenatchee. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch basil

• 1/2 bunch mint

• 1 lb yellow and green wax beans, trimmed

• 1 bunch scallions

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

• olive oil

• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup lightly toasted hazelnuts

• 1/3 cup spicy fish sauce *

Preparation

Heat grill to medium-high. While the grill is heating, pick the herbs and leave the leaves whole - discard ugly ones.

Once the grill is hot, grill the beans (do not add any oil!!!) and scallions directly on the grill grates (perpendicular to them…..). Grill until they are deeply charred and caramelized and quite tender. This can also be done in a hot cast-iron skillet.

Remove the veggies from the grill, cut the scallions into shorter lengths and toss the veggies in a bowl with the spicy fish sauce sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle on a glug of olive oil, fold in the tomatoes and herbs and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning. You want the salad to zing! Top the beans with hazelnuts. Serve on the warm side of room temperature.

*Spicy Fish Sauce (makes 1 1/2 cups)

• 1/4 cup seeded, de-ribbed and minced fresh hot chiles (use a mix of colors)

• 4 large garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 cup fish sauce

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sugar

Stir everything together in a small bowel until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust so you have an intense sweet-salty-sour-hot balance. Ideally, make this a day ahead, then taste and readjust the seasons on the second day. Chile heat will get stronger. Sauce will keep for a month or two.