Little Fish Of The Garden (Peixinhos Da Horta) - Portuguese - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb Italian flat beans
water, as needed
1 teaspoon coarse salt (to taste)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper (to taste)
1 cup olive oil (or as needed for frying)

Preparation

Rinse the beans and trim the tips. Place the beans in a medium saucepan with 1 teaspoon of the salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well and blot to remove excess water.
Make a batter of the eggs, flour, remaining salt, and pepper.
Heat about 1 cup of oil in a small skillet until hot, but not smoking. Working with 3 beans at a time, dip the beans in the batter forming a group of 3.
Immediately place the grouped beans in the skillet and pan-fry. The beans should stik together as they fry, although sometimes you may get one or two that separate. When the beans are a light golden color on both sides, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Serve hot or at room temperature as an appetizer or a side dish.