Steamed green beans with boiled grouper head and Greek Mayonnaise

A couple of months ago, I posted a recipe for boiled grouper head with salad and vegetables, served with Greek Mayonnaise.

Today I present a variation of the dish, where I praise the green beans that are now in season in Greece.

The green beans come in many varieties, I prefer what we call “tsaoulia” in Greek. They are very long, have the shape of an elongated cylinder and when freshly cut are very tender. They need no preparation other than cutting the edges. The test I deploy before buying them is to break one in two pieces and smell it. If the aroma of the fresh flesh comes to you, we are in business!

I steam the beans, I do not boil them. You can notice that close to the brim of the pot there is another folding container with holes, which holds the beans. There is water in the pot, but only enough for it to create the required steam. The beans do not come in touch with the water. Also, the beans are as they came out of the field. I do not put any salt or other substance. For the purposes of taking the photo I uncovered the pot, but in order for the steam to do its work, the pot must be covered for the duration of the process.

Just do it this way and – if the beans are good – you will not want to put even salt on them!  You will taste the bean in its natural taste and flavor! And it is wonderful!

While the beans are being steamed, the fish head (usually grouper, but any big mother will do) is boiling in water, a bit of olive oil, dry onions, carrots, and celery. The unbeatable mix for creating a solid flavor baseline. I never boil the fish more than 20 minutes, because I want the flesh to be firm and juicy. It makes a huge difference in texture and flavor! The criterion for this is for the meat to “just” come off the bones, as if it is still lightly glued to them.

In parallel, I prepare the Greek Mayonnaise, which is a regular mayonnaise embellished with red fish roe, tarama, as we call it in Greek. the Greek Mayonnaise is therefore a cross between the French mayonnaise and the taramasalata, for those who know it. Try it and you will never have boiled fish without it!

To serve, you create a base with the beans, put the fish on top, sliced carrots around with parsley and dill, and sprinkle with olive oil and coarse sea salt. If you like lemon, add just a bit of lemon juice over the dish, to give it an extra kick of acidity. You finish the dish by putting a big dollop of the Greek Mayonnaise on top.

Enjoy it! Bon Appetit!