Hashed Brussels Sprouts With Lemon

Hashed Brussels Sprouts With Lemon
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist:Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Christina Lane.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(2,210)
Notes
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A shower of lemon zest and black mustard seeds on a fast sauté of hashed brussels sprouts makes a traditional side dish with unexpected, bright flavors. Slice the sprouts a day or so before (a food processor makes it easy) and refrigerate until it's time to prepare them. —Julia Moskin

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 12 servings
  • 2tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 to 3pounds brussels sprouts
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 2tablespoons butter
  • 3garlic cloves, minced
  • 2tablespoons black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, or poppy seeds
  • ¼cup dry white wine or vermouth
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

110 calories; 6 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 323 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place lemon juice in a large bowl. Cut bottoms off sprouts, and discard. Working in batches, use a food processor fitted with the slicing blade to cut sprouts into thin slices. (If cutting by hand, halve sprouts lengthwise, and thinly slice them crosswise. The slices toward the stem end should be thinner, to help pieces cook evenly.) As you work, transfer slices into bowl with lemon juice. When all sprouts are sliced, toss them in juice and use your fingers to separate leaves. (Recipe can be prepared to this point and refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 hours.)

  2. Step 2

    When ready to serve, heat oil and butter over high heat in a skillet large enough to hold all sprouts. When very hot, add sprouts, garlic and seeds, and cook, stirring often, until sprouts are wilted and lightly cooked, but still bright green and crisp, about 4 minutes. Some leaves may brown slightly.

  3. Step 3

    Add wine and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Turn off heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and more lemon juice if desired. Stir in the lemon zest, reserving a little for top of dish. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining zest and serve.

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4 out of 5
2,210 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Black mustard seeds are best when allowed to pop. To do that for this recipe, heat the oil in the pan, add the mustard seeds and wait a few seconds for them to pop. Then add butter and proceed as per recipe.

The process of popping black mustard seeds in hot oil is very common in Indian cooking. Popped mustard seeds have a better feel in the mouth.

I make this every Christmas and have converted staunch anti-Brussels sprouts friends into Brussels sprouts fanatics. It is so well loved, that I am often asked to bring it to dinner parties!

I did slice this by hand for years (Brussels sprouts for 12, sliced by hand! Yikes!). Now I use the food processor. I also do all the prep for this the day before and throw it together at the last minute.

I eat a version of this almost every day for breakfast, topped with two poached eggs.
I add onions, no wine, and vary spices. I often skip the lemon - it overpowers other flavors. If I have some bacon I chop that up and add it as well (and, if I've just made the bacon, use the bacon grease instead of oil). Honestly, brussels sprouts can be made into a hash with almost any ingredients.

I usually make a big batch on Sunday morning, and reheat in a skillet during the week. Quick and easy.

Just introducing the IDEA of bacon starts us on a slippery slope...

--Slice into thin slivers instead of food processor. Good mixed in rice/fried rice.

If prepping ahead, do you still toss the cut sprouts in lemon juice after slicing, or wait until ready to cook?

Slice the sprouts a day or so before (a food processor makes it easy) and refrigerate until it's time to prepare them.

Black mustard seeds are best when allowed to pop. To do that for this recipe, heat the oil in the pan, add the mustard seeds and wait a few seconds for them to pop. Then add butter and proceed as per recipe.

I don't know how this could possibly be considered "dull" or "flavourless" unless you missed an ingredient. Try again and be sure to include the zest .... I've already shredded my sprouts and laced with lemon juice. The garlic is an unexpected angle, too. This is always a hit and is in my regular holiday rotation.

I love this recipe and make it a lot but it's hit or miss with guests. I made a huge mistake of preparing it an hour before guests arrived this Thanksgiving and it did not keep well -- it's certainly something you want to make just before serving. If you tried it and didn't like it, keep adding lemon and salt, and make sure you cook it long enough - just like any other cruciferous vegetable. I omit the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, or poppy seeds. Just S&P for me!

Julia said yes, any kind of mustard seeds will work.

We loved this dish, someone brought us a whole stalk of brussel sprouts from their garden which I used for this. For the vegan version, just use olive oil for the butter part, I did this and it tasted really good. I did add a little more lemon juice at the end, but that is totally up to individual taste.

This dish was phenomenal. One addition upon serving that made it perfect - freshly-grated Romano cheese. Even my kids ate it and asked for more!

Leave off the oil and cooking and serve this as a cole slaw-esque dish.

I have brown mustard seeds and yellow mustard seeds, but no black mustard seeds. Which is preferable?

Yum. We like it best with Brussels sprouts, but it also works with cabbage and broccoli.

Heat the mustard seed in a bit of oil, till they pop.

Subbed the seeds for za’atar, then just a little dusting of ground cumin. Nice.

I wish I liked brussel sprouts, but I don't, and this recipe did nothing to change my mind.

Meh. I am a Brussels sprouts lover, and in my book this was the worst recipe for sprouts that I've ever tried. I am stunned that so many wrote that this recipe made anti-Brussels sprouts people converts. Once you've converted, try any one of the many roasted sprouts recipes you can find anywhere. Even look up the raw sprouts slaws you can make. They are all better than this. I made it as written, luckily only 1/2 batch, so I've only wasted 1 lb of sprouts.

I made this for Thanksgiving, using cumin seeds. It was tasty, but not a dish for true Brussels Sprouts fanatics. Basically, it's a trick to coax non-sprouts eaters to eat their green veg, since between the slicing and fluffing and the amount of lemon, it pretty well disguises them. I'm going back to roasting and caramelizing.

I used cumin seeds and sliced the sprouts using a mandoline, and I thought it was delicious. I might add just a little more lemon juice next time.

I enjoy most vegetable preparations, and I appreciated the low proportion of fat to vegetable in this one but other than that I didn't find it in any way memorable or special. I was happy it made a lot so I had a lot of vegetables to eat over the course of a couple of days, but it wasn't the culinary highlight my week. It certainly involved a buttload of slicing.

Yum. Big hit at dinner party. I did not have white wine, so added a splash of red. I don’t recommend this as lemon and seeds were overshadowed. Next time might add some Dijon as the mustard seeds were subtle. Not sure I got them to “pop” in the hot oil as someone else recommended. Maybe that brings out more flavor.

delicious, light and fluffy, will make again for company, used 2 tsp mustard instead of mustard seeds. also added some red onion for color.

Made as written and it was very good. Browned the leftovers in butter and topped with poached eggs (as per the suggestion of one commenter) and it was amazing.

Good not great

Wouldn't the lemon juice cook the sprouts due to the acid during the 3 hours setting in the lemon juice? I'd use a little chicken broth or veggie broth (for vegans/vegetarians) and if making at Thanksgiving, use some of the turkey broth from the baked turkey. I usually have smoked turkey and some smokey broth would bump up the flavor of the sprouts.

Well, I don't think I would put the lemon juice on the sliced sprouts and then refrigerate for 3 hours. Why? Lemon juice is acidic and the acid can cook the sprouts during that 3 hours.

Have to admit, I didn't like this, but I think the wine was a mistake. To be honest, I am not a brussel sprouts fan. but I thought it was a good side dish for lamb. I did look pretty!

I've used a little chicken broth instead of wine in other sprout recipes and think it would go nicely with this recipe. If making at Thanksgiving, some of the turkey broth from the baked turkey would be good. I generally have smoked turkey at Thanksgiving and the smokey broth would bump up the flavor of the sprouts. For a vegan/vegetarian dish, a little veggie broth would be nice.

I love brussels sprouts in all forms, but texture-wise, I found this to be a bit bland as is. The next day I had it for lunch with toasted sesame seeds and sliced almonds, avocado, and preserved lemon, and it was just right.

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Credits

Adapted from "The Union Square Cafe Cookbook," by Michael Romano and Danny Meyer

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