Skip to main content

Dilly Buttered Green Beans


I'm having a love affair with dill over here in my little west coast kitchen.

Maybe it's something to do with this lush, green time of year, and the scent of fresh growing things drifting in through my kitchen window on the breeze. Perhaps it's because I have been eating a lot of fish lately. Whatever the reason, I have been filling the crisper with fragrant bunches of feathery dill and taking big sniffs of it whenever I open the fridge door. Like, closing my eyes and nuzzling right in there for that one-of-a-kind herby scent that is childhood and picnics and summer all at once. Sure, that might be a little bit loopy. But, hey, you're reading my food blog so I figure you're kind of in it with me now. You're practically an enabler.

A famous kitchen master once said (totally making this up) that you should,"Use herbs wisely, grasshopper." It's one thing to possess fresh herbs and another thing altogether to snip them off the plant or retrieve them from the crisper and use them to their best advantage. I like my dill with fish, eggs, picnic salads like potato and pasta salads, and veggie side dishes. My latest dill obsession - fresh green beans cooked just until tender and tossed with lots of chopped fresh dill and melted butter. Such simple, wonderful food, and I could seriously eat the whole pile of them myself.

Get the recipe below...




Dilly Buttered Green Beans
Makes 3-4 side servings

1 lb (450 g) fresh green beans
1/3 cup (75 mL) chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp (30 mL) salted butter, divided

Rinse the green beans under cool running water. Using a small knife, trim off and discard the stem ends.

Add about 1-inch of water to a medium saucepan. Add the green beans to the saucepan (the water will not cover the beans). Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and continue cooking the beans until fork tender (8 to 10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Drain well.

Return the beans to the saucepan. Stir in the dill and 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the butter until the butter melts. Serve immediately, topped with the remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) of butter.

What would you make with a bunch of fresh dill?