Serves 10
14400 min
Dilly Beans
Recipe GLPRa2f85aa5794737
Crisp, tangy pickled green beans infused with fresh dill, garlic, and a hint of spice. These fermented dilly beans develop complex flavor over two weeks and keep refrigerated for up to two months—perfect as a condiment, side dish, or crunchy snack straight from the jar.
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Ingredients
⅔ cup coarse sea salt
1 gallon water (1 gallon warm water)
2 pounds fresh green beans or yellow wax beans, trimmed and ends removed
6 fresh dill sprigs
6 garlic cloves, smashed
3 dried red chiles (such as cayenne or chile de árbol)
1 tablespoon dill seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
Directions
Combine coarse sea salt and 1 gallon of warm water in a large bowl. Stir until the salt dissolves completely. Allow the brine to cool to room temperature before proceeding.
In a large ceramic, glass, or stainless-steel bowl, layer the trimmed green beans with the fresh dill sprigs, smashed garlic cloves, dried chiles, dill seeds, and crushed black peppercorns.
Pour the cooled brine over the beans and seasonings until they are completely submerged. To keep the beans submerged during fermentation, fill a resealable plastic bag with the remaining brine, seal it, and place it on top of the beans as a weight. Cover the entire bowl loosely with a clean kitchen towel.
Let the beans ferment at room temperature. Bubbles will begin to form around the edge of the bowl within 4 to 5 days—this indicates fermentation is progressing.
After bubbles appear, spoon off any foam from the surface of the brine. Continue fermenting at room temperature, removing foam as it accumulates, for about 2 weeks total until the beans are fully pickled and have developed their characteristic tangy flavor.
Using a slotted spoon, distribute the pickled beans, dill sprigs, garlic, chiles, and spices equally among three clean 1-quart jars.
Set a fine-mesh strainer lined with two layers of cheesecloth over a large pitcher. Carefully pour the brine through the strainer to filter out any sediment or foam.
Pour the filtered brine over the beans in each jar, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top. Cover the jars and refrigerate. The dilly beans will keep for up to 2 months when stored cold.
