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Home » Savoury » Salad

Mint Pea Salad

May 30, 2018 by Jane Saunders 8 Comments

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Fresh, zingy and joyfully green, this Mint Pea Salad is as light and fresh as it looks. It makes a great side dish for BBQs and summer Pot Luck Parties. Add a few boiled new potatoes and it makes a nutritious & speedy lunch.

A plate of mint and pea salad with feta cheese and pink radish slices.

I’ve been making this Mint Pea Salad for many years, but it took an early spring BBQ with my in-laws to remind me to finally get this gem of a salad photographed and published. My mum-in-law (hi Janet) will be very happy since she adores this side dish.

As we head into BBQ season I’m hunting down a handful of my favourite recipes that I always like to serve. Alongside all the sausages, burgers and kebabs, I like to pull together a handful of side dishes to keep my plate bursting with fresh ingredients and interesting flavours. I tend to prepare around 4 side dishes per BBQ, but there are 2 recipes I come back to time and time again. Always on the menu are:

  • some wonderful pickled onion slices by chef Ben O’Donoghue – these are the crowning glory on any burgers served
  • And of course, today’s star recipe, this Mint Pea Salad
Ingredients: peas, fresh mint, pink radish.

This salad is so simple to prepare and delivers a fresh, zesty, minty and savoury-sweet addition to the plate. It’s also big on summer produce – alongside the peas the bounty includes:

  • Pea shoots or lambs lettuce
  • Lots of fresh, bright & aromatic mint
  • Dill (optional)
  • Radish – for a peppery bite and colour contrast
  • A tangy lemon dressing
  • Crumbled feta or goats cheese
A bundle of fresh mint wrapped with string.

What’s nice about this dish is that it has only a light dressing, rather than a rich mayonnaise style sauce. The citrus bite of this dressing not only partners superbly with the mint and peas, but it makes a lively pairing with the perky yet creamy bite of the feta or goats cheese as well.

A plate of mint and pea salad with goats cheese on top.

I tend to use frozen peas, fully defrosted, but not cooked for most of the year. But when peas are in season I trot along to my local PYO farm with my kids to pluck a few pea pods fresh from the stem. Nothing quite beats freshly picked and podded peas. Once podded (and taste tested several times over), I blanche the peas and refresh under cold water so they are just cooked and still have that wonderful popping texture that only just harvested peas seem able to retain.

It’s best to prepare the ingredients for this Mint Pea Salad and the dressing separately and combine them together just before serving, since the acidity of the lemon juice does discolour the peas over time, spoiling the bright green aesthetic of this dish.

Finally, should you wish to turn this Mint Pea Salad into a more robust stand-alone salad suitable for lunch, try adding a few boiled new potatoes. And if you are looking for more BBQ friendly side dishes, take a look at my green bean and potato salad and my beetroot salad. They both work well alongside this pea salad.

Overhead view of mint, peas, lambs lettuce and potato salad on plates.

Looking for more recipes involving peas? Try these:

  • Mint Pea Falafel with a Mint Tahini Dressing
  • Cheesy Vegetable Potato Pie
  • Vegan Pea Soup
  • Salmon and Potato Salad with Horseradish Dressing (and peas!)
Mint Pea Salad-4

Mint Pea Salad

Jane Saunders
Fresh, zingy and joyfully green, this Mint Pea Salad is as light and fresh as it looks. It makes a great side dish for BBQs and summer Pot Luck Parties. Add a few boiled new potatoes and it makes a nutritious & speedy lunch.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: British
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 as a side dish
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Ingredients

  • 200 g/ 7 oz/ 1 ⅓ cup Peas (defrosted if using frozen)
  • 2 handfuls Pea shoots or lambs lettice
  • 3 Pink radish
  • 3 tablespoon Fresh mint (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh dill (chopped) optional
  • 75 g/ 3 oz/ ¾ cup Feta (or goats cheese)

For the Dressing

  • 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 2 teaspoon Lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoon Lemon zest
  • Seasoning to taste

Instructions

  • If using frozen peas ensure they are fully defrosted and drained of water
  • If using fresh peas blanche in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and refresh in cold water. Drain again
  • Top & tail the radish then slice into rounds as thinly as possible
  • Put the peas, salad leaves, radish and herbs into a large serving bowl. Use your hands to gently toss the ingredients together
  • Put the oil, lemon juice and zest into a small jug or bowl and season lightly with salt & pepper – go steady on the salt since feta is quite a salty cheese
  • When ready to serve, whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Again, use your hands to toss the ingredients together
  • Crumble the cheese over the salad and grind a little black pepper over it. Serve immediately
Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @littlesugarsnap or tag #littlesugarsnaps!
(Visited 215 times, 2 visits today)

More Salad Recipes

  • Beetroot Salad with Feta
  • Roasted Chickpea Salad with Chorizo
  • Green Bean and Potato Salad
  • Salmon and Potato Salad with Horseradish Dressing

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  1. Shadi Hasanzadenemati

    June 19, 2019 at 3:24 pm

    5 stars
    Love how easy and delicious this recipe is. It’s perfect for a gathering or a party.

    Reply
    • Jane Saunders

      June 24, 2019 at 8:03 pm

      Thanks Shadi

      Reply
  2. Tara

    June 19, 2019 at 3:06 pm

    5 stars
    What a wonderfully refreshing salad. Perfect for spring or summer!

    Reply
    • Jane Saunders

      June 24, 2019 at 8:04 pm

      Thanks Tara.

      Reply
  3. Linda Slater

    June 05, 2018 at 6:38 pm

    Great salad with a lovely light dressing. Will definitely make again.

    Reply
    • Jane Saunders

      June 05, 2018 at 7:48 pm

      I’m so pleased you enjoyed it Linda. And it makes my day whenever a reader takes the time to let me know they enjoyed a recipe – thankyou.

      Reply
  4. monique

    May 31, 2018 at 1:16 pm

    Thank you jane..I Pinned this last night from Pinterest! Looks beautiful and fresh.

    Reply
    • Jane Saunders

      June 01, 2018 at 8:21 pm

      Thankyou Monique. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family do.

      Reply

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