I love this snap pea recipe. This dish surprised me, because it was born out of one of those use-up-what’s-in-the-fridge nights. It was so good, I wrote it down.
This recipe calls for a few unusual ingredients, but they can all be subbed. The star is really the peas themselves, their freshness made fresher by radishes, lemon, and mint, all anchored by yogurt, and accented with pepper. It’s fast and easy to put together with just 7 minutes of cooking time.
Recipe and Ingredient Notes
Preserved Lemon
Preserved lemons are lemons that have been preserved in kosher salt. Sometimes spices like peppercorns or bay leaves are added for additional flavor, but the primary flavor is that of punchy, complex, concentrated lemon. In this recipe, the preserved lemon develops a caramelly sweetness that’s really delightful, and almost has a texture like dates, but less sticky.
Preserved lemons can be purchased, but they’re also very easy to make yourself! They do, however, take about a month before they’re ready to eat. If you’d like to make your own, the recipe for preserved lemons is located on this page, right below the recipe for the snap pea dish.
Alternatively, if there’s no preserved lemon to be had, just replace it with lemon zest and salt, noted in the recipe. Really, it’s great either way!
One more note on the preserved lemon in this recipe:
You’ll notice that the recipe calls for preserved lemon peel, not the flesh. The flesh can be easily pulled away from the peel and left in the jar for another use.
A jar of my homemade preserved lemons.
Preserved lemon peel that’s been rinsed.
Diced up preserved lemon peel.
Plain Greek Yogurt made with Whole Milk
Does using plain greek yogurt in a savory dish sound weird? it’s not!
I like dishes to have some kind of sauce, and yogurt works great for that. Plus it adds additional protein, and all the other good stuff that comes with yogurt.
I highly recommend using full fat greek yogurt made with whole milk, especially for this dish. The less fat the yogurt has, the more sour it is, and in this dish the pepper and the lemon are already offering sourness. The additional fat softens everything.
To plate a cute sauce (in this case, yogurt) swoop, dollop a blob of sauce on the plate…
… Then, use the back of the spoon to push the blob into a swoop.
Aleppo Pepper
Aleppo pepper has a wonderful flavor with a touch of sourness and smokiness. It’s spice level is mild.
If you’ve bought some and you’re looking for other ways to use it, try it for rimming the glass of a margarita or a bloody mary, or pair it with dishes that use saffron. It’s also great on roasted potatoes.
If there’s no aleppo pepper to be had, replace it with crushed red pepper flakes.
If you’re not into spice, replace it with sumac.
Julienning Radishes
Julienning radishes is fairly advanced knife work, but it produces a really nice texture and distributes the radishes throughout the dish in a nice way. Please be careful of your fingers!
As an alternative, simply slice the radishes.
To julienne radishes, cut off the top and bottom of the radish.
Then, slice the radish.
Last, slice the radish the other direction (like a checkerboard.)
Snap Peas with Preserved Lemon, Mint, + Radishes Recipe
Snap Peas with Preserved Lemon, Mint, and Radishes
Equipment
- 1 medium skillet
Ingredients
- 8 oz stringless snap peas ends trimmed
- 1.5 tbsp rinsed and chopped preserved lemon peel (or, zest of 1 lemon + 1/4 tsp salt)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp plain greek yogurt full fat preferred
- 10 small radishes julienned or sliced
- 4 sprigs fresh mint chiffonade (sliced thin)
- aleppo pepper for sprinkling (or, crushed red pepper or sumac)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to the skillet over medium heat, then add the preserved lemon and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the snap peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender and browned in a few spots, about 7 minutes. Taste the peas and add salt if needed.
- Plate the peas over a swooshed dollop of yogurt, and top with radishes, fresh mint, and a sprinkle of aleppo pepper.
Preserved Lemons Recipe
Preserved Lemons
Equipment
- 1 clean, wide mouth jar or airtight container preferably glass for long-term storage. 2-3 lemons will fit in a pint jar, 4-6 will fit in a quart jar.
Ingredients
- lemons As many will fit in your jar
- kosher salt
- bay leaf optional
- peppercorns optional
Instructions
- Scrub the skins of the lemons clean and pat dry.On a cutting board, hold a lemon on the surface vertically so that the pointy end is facing up. Use a knife to cut the lemon as if you were going to cut it into quarters, but leave the bottom 1/4" of the lemon in tact.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of salt into the jar, along with a bay leaf and/or peppercorns if using. Scoop 1 tsp of salt into the cavity of each lemon.
- Put the the first salted lemon into the jar, and top with 1 tsp of salt. Repeat with the remaining lemons, using a cocktail muddler or the handle of a big spoon or cooking utensil to squish them down as you go. Continue to gently squish, expelling juice, so that the lemons are somewhat submerged in liquid.
- Add another 1 tablespoon of salt on top of the lemons, and close the lid. Date the jar and store in the refrigerator.
- For the next 2-3 days, smoosh down the lemons to submerge them in their juices. If after 3 days they are still not submerged, add more lemon juice. A thin covering of juice is all you need!
- Your lemons will be ready after 1 month, and will be in their prime for the following 6 months.When you're ready to enjoy your lemons, remember to wash off the salt. Place the portion of preserved lemon you'd like to consume in a bowl of water, or simply rinse for a minute or two before cooking or consuming.
Notes
Wondering what to pair with this snap pea recipe with?
How about biggest fried chicken cutlet ever? See the recipe for fried chicken cutlets here.
This is a great side dish for fried chicken because it balances the richness of fried food with the freshness of snap peas and radishes. I think it would also pair great with crispy skinned fish and a rice pilaf, or a crispy pork belly.
