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Brown Buttered Broccolini

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A recipe developer and former private chef in the Hamptons, Meredith Hayden often reminds herself that “making something different doesn’t always make it better. Could I have given the buttered broccoli that I grew up with a full head-to-toe makeover? Sure. But sometimes, a dish doesn’t need a makeover, it just needs to play dress up.” And if she’s being honest, a bowl of buttered broccoli (or slightly more posh broccolini, which she calls for here) is often all you need on a busy weeknight or for a dinner party where you’re serving lots of other dishes, especially during the winter holiday season. “But we can still pamper her with some fun accessories,” Meredith adds. Here she dresses up the broccolini with brown butter, lemon zest and flaky salt. You’ll find this updated version in her best-selling book, The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) (2 oz./60 g) salted butter, cut into cubes
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 lb. (500 g) broccolini, trimmed
  • 1 lemon, zested and halved
  • Flaky salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

To prepare the brown butter, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to foam, about 5 minutes. When the foaming and bubbling settle down, continue to cook until the butter smells nutty and the milk solids are nicely browned at the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To blanch the broccolini, in a large pot, bring 5 quarts (5 l) water and 1 Tbs. kosher salt to a boil. While the water comes to a boil, prepare an ice bath. In a large bowl, combine a couple handfuls of ice with enough cold water to cover.

Add the broccolini to the boiling water and cook until the stalks are tender, about 2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the broccolini to the ice bath until cooled, about 3 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

To serve, transfer the broccolini to a platter or plate and pour over the brown butter. Finish with the lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of flaky salt and a few cracks of pepper. Serves 4.

Hot Tip: Ways to remix this dish include, but are not limited to: Add a tablespoon of miso to the brown butter, use chili-infused olive oil, add chili crisp, finish with a dusting of Parmesan cheese, swap balsamic vinegar for lemon. Plus, trade in any tender green veg, such as asparagus, sugar snap peas or broccoli. Flavor opportunities are limited only by your imagination and pantry.

Adapted from The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook by Meredith Hayden (Ten Speed Press, 2025)

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