Bean and Legume

Cooking peas only briefly—in a little bit of butter—lets them retain their flavor, color, and texture.

Flageolet, pale green kidney beans, are prevalent in French cooking. Their delicate flavor is well suited for simple preparations and is particularly good with lamb.

If you can’t find fresh edamame (soybeans), frozen works just as well. Look for them in the freezer section of your grocery store.

This recipe can be doubled easily. Use a larger steamer, about ten inches in diameter, to cook all four portions at once in the same basket.

You can make this sauce with thawed frozen peas instead of fresh, in which case they don’t need to be blanched. The sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat over medium-low heat, adding water to thin, if necessary.

You can serve this dish hot, cold, or at room temperature. Cook the fish in batches if your oven is small. Dried beans work best, but you can substitute 6 cups of drained, rinsed canned beans; begin with step 3.

This dish is also delicious with mussels. Decrease the amount of chiles if you like it less spicy.

This recipe, without the shrimp (and with vegetable stock), makes a nice vegetarian main dish; serve it with grated Parmesan cheese.