sugar snap pea salad

Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette and Fresh Mint

 

Amy Smart shares one of her favorite summer recipes for sugar snap pea salad made with fresh ingredients from the farmer's market. Amy was the August 2016 cover girl for Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine

“Ali Larter and I met when we were both modeling in Italy, and we became friends immediately. These two recipes are from her cookbook Kitchen Revelry. The salad dressing is a simple but tasty go-to recipe for any summer salad, but here the snap peas provide a nice alternative to greens.” -- Amy Smart

Serves 8

Ingredients

Vinaigrette: 
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon agave syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sugar Snap Pea Salad:
  • Shallot Vinaigrette (see accompanying recipe)
  • 2 pounds sugar snap peas, strings removed
  • Ice cubes
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, very thinly sliced
  • Edible flowers (optional)

Directions

Vinaigrette:  Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk vigorously until emulsified. Sugar Snap Pea Salad: Fill a large bowl with water and ice cubes and place close to the stove. Steam the snap peas in a steamer set over boiling water just until the peas are crisp-tender but still bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately plunge the snap peas into the bowl with the ice water for 1 to 2 minutes to stop the cooking. Drain well. Add the snap peas to another bowl with the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Transfer the pea mixture to a serving bowl. Sprinkle the mint over the snap peas. Garnish with edible flowers and a light sprinkling of flaked salt, if desired, and serve.