Crispy Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts

Crispy brussels sprouts in a cast iron pan with hazelnuts and garlic.

Crispy Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: crispy brussels sprouts, pan fried brussels sprouts, pan seared brussels sprouts

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

Servings:

Calories: 228kcal

Pan fried brussels sprouts get crispy and caramelized in a cast iron skillet. Only 5 ingredients, and ready in about 20 minutes!

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Equipment

Ingredients

1 lb brussels sprouts
2 ½ tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoon hazelnuts
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place a small skillet over medium heat and toast the hazelnuts for a few minutes, just until you start to smell a nutty aroma. Then dump them onto a clean kitchen towel. While they're still warm, rub the nuts together inside the towel to remove their skins. Not all of the skins will come off and that is okay. Set the nuts aside to cool.
Trim the stems off the brussels sprouts, then cut them in half.
Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the garlic cloves in their skins to the pan and stir them around for about two minutes.
Add the brussels sprouts to the pan cut side down. Now WALK AWAY! Leave them alone for a while. After 5-10 minutes, when they are starting to darken, start stirring them around the pan for another 5-10 minutes until they are all crispy and caramelized.
While the brussels sprouts are cooking, roughly chop the cooled hazelnuts.
When the brussels sprouts are almost done, remove the garlic cloves from the pan. Carefully remove the skins, (they're HOT) cut them in half, and add them back into the pan. To finish, add the butter and hazelnuts, stir to coat everything evenly. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Notes

Adapted lightly from The Barbuto Cookbook, by Jonathan Waxman.
Yes, one pound of brussels sprouts really serves 4. The butter and olive oil and hazelnuts add a lot of richness, so a little goes a long way. They are very satisfying!
The real key to getting these brussels sprouts crispy is to put them cut side down in the pan and then leave them alone! Just WALK AWAY! Seriously, they need to sit on the surface of that hot pan and have time to caramelize. If you move them around too soon, they won't get that crispy crust.
Don't use garlic cloves that are too big. Normally, I would tell you to use the biggest ones you can find because I LOVE garlic, but believe me, I tried, and the big ones don't have enough time to soften and cook through. So you can use more small ones to make up the difference if you like it extra garlicky!
Be sure to check out the post above for tips about ingredients, serving suggestions, and related recipes.

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