Sugar Snap Pea and Mint Salad
Plus a fun serving suggestion!
I just know that the NYC Greenmarket is practically bursting with produce by now, but I haven’t been in the city for a few weeks. Out here on the eastern end of Long Island, we are a solid two weeks behind. I like this, because when I go back and forth, the season seems to last just a little bit longer.
I thought for sure there would be sugar snap peas at my farm stand today, but I found only shelling peas (they said they had a “few” sugar snaps yesterday). Instead, I had to go to the fancy grocery store to buy sugar snaps so I could photograph today’s newsletter for you. Let me tell you, they are not the same! They were OK, but a little tough! However, I feel sure that by the time you read this, you should be able to get local sugar snap peas wherever you are, and they are worth seeking out!
Snap peas are one of my favorite seasonal treats, and I have been making them the same way since the 90s when I shared a big farmhouse with a bunch of friends in Sagaponack. We regularly had big communal dinners where everyone contributed to the meals. One of my frequent offerings in early summer was a version of today’s recipe. The freshest, most tender little snap peas were always one of the first things at nearby Pike Farms (along with strawberries—counting the days for those!). When they are that young and tender, I don’t even bother blanching them. I have found, though, that a ten-minute soak in ice water makes them crunchy as heck.
Slicing the sugar snaps lengthwise creates a delightful texture punctuated by the little peas inside, and creates pockets for the dressing to dwell in. For me, it’s one of those meditative kitchen tasks that I actually enjoy, and it honestly only takes about ten minutes to slice two baskets (about a pound) of peas.
A few years ago, my good friend Kathryn stopped by to say hello, and she was hungry. I happened to have some of this salad on hand, likely left over from dinner the night before, or maybe I had just shot a version of it for Veg Forward. In that version, I added finely shredded napa cabbage and purple daikon. Anyway, thinking on my feet, I made her kind of a sandwich using flatbread (probably the same Stonefire naan I used today) slathered with labneh and piled with the snap pea salad. She acted as if it was the best thing she had ever eaten, and I’ve been wanting to replicate and share it ever since, so here you are!
