Next week is March and I am looking ahead to spring.  You can find all of these ingredients in most markets, including Trader Joe’s.  This snap pea and radish recipe is SO FAST, and so fresh and tasty. It’s an ideal side dish for entertaining as well as a weeknight dinner. It may not look like much, but the combination of these ingredients is a winner!

What is the difference between different types of peas?

Sugar Snap Peas are also known as snap peas. They are what I am using in this recipe. They are fat and puffed. You can eat the entire pod and inside peas. They are crunchy and sweet and can be eaten raw or cooked, although I like them cooked just barely so that they are still crunchy. I’ve seen “stringless” varieties, but I usually try to trim the ends and pull off the strings.

Snow Peas are also known as Chinese pea pods.  They are flat with tiny peas inside and like, snap peas, you can eat the entire thing.  I often see snow peas in stir fries, but you can eat them raw as well.  They have a mild flavor, but not as sweet as snap peas.

English Peas are also know as garden peas or sweet peas.  You can only eat the inside peas and not the pods. These are the peas you find frozen or canned.  They are part of the legume family and have a lot of protein. The downside of these peas is that they start to turn from sweet to starchy once they are picked. Therefore, I rarely buy them fresh and love having frozen ones on hand.  They are often sweeter!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Super quick and easy; 
• Perfect for Spring; 
• Light and nutritious;
• Goes with most recipes!

Ingredients

• Sugar snap peas – are edible green pods that are slightly sweeter than snow peas. 
• Watermelon radish – have a beautiful bright pink interior. If you can’t find them, any kind of radish will be lovely. 
• Lemon zest – I love using lemon zest when I want to infuse a dish with lemon flavor without being too tart. Be careful to only zest the yellow skin and not the white pith as that tends to be bitter. 
• Chives – are related to onions, but are much milder. They look like very thin scallion greens and taste similar to leeks. 
• Fresh Mint – I love adding fresh herbs to any dish. The mint adds a nice freshness!

How to make it? 

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and when warm, add the sugar snap peas and radish. Toss to coat in the oil and cook until just crisp tender, stirring often for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Transfer sugar snap peas and radish to a serving dish. Toss with lemon zest, chives, and mint.

Tips 

• If you double this recipe, you need to sauté in two batches.
• Use the largest skillet you have so everything cooks evenly.
• Any kind of radishes you find will be lovely.
• The key is not overcooking the vegetables. You want them to be crisp tender. 
• Feta is delicious in this dish! 

Substitutions

• Chives – shallot or green onion. Start recipe by sautéing thinly sliced shallot OR add sliced green onions with sugar snap peas and radishes and sauté together. 
• Radishes – any color is fine or just omit.
• Mint – tarragon is nice too

Other recipes you may like

*Minted sugar snap peas

*Sugar snap pea and quinoa salad with tofu 

*Three pea sauté with turkey bacon 

If you give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes,  updates and things I’m loving lately.  If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class!  Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Pamela Salzman (@pamelasalzman)