Sugar Snap Pea Salad With Calabrian Pepper and Fennel

Recipe from Whitney Otawka

Adapted by Kim Severson

Sugar Snap Pea Salad With Calabrian Pepper and Fennel
Forrest Aguar and Michelle Norris for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(88)
Notes
Read community notes

Whitney Otawka, whom you may remember from "Top Chef" or Hugh Acheson’s Five & Ten restaurant in Athens, Ga., cooks at the Greyfield Inn. It’s the only place to stay on Cumberland Island, the largest barrier island off Georgia’s coast. The farmers who live there grow sugar snap peas, which she welcomes as one of the early tastes of spring. She is also a fan of Calabrian peppers packed in oil, which she started eating at Antico Pizza in Atlanta. She uses them to make a dressing base that enlivens the peas. The fennel, which needs to be sliced very finely, adds crunch and depth. Buy baby fennel, if you can find it. This is a great salad on its own, or use it as a kind of relish on grilled meat or braised lamb. There will be extra chile dressing, which is a fine condiment for grilled chicken. It will also add character to a pasta dish or even a slice of takeout pizza. —Kim Severson

Featured in: Ham or Lamb? The Easter Choice May Be Changing

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

    For the Chile Dressing

    • ¼cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
    • 1teaspoon minced garlic
    • 2teaspoons minced shallot
    • 1teaspoon deseeded and minced Calabrian peppers packed in oil
    • ½teaspoon lemon zest
    • ¼teaspoon minced fresh thyme
    • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • ¼cup fresh lemon juice
    • Pinch salt and black pepper

    For the Salad

    • 1pound sugar snap peas
    • ½cup thinly shaved fennel, preferably baby fennel
    • ¼teaspoon salt
    • 1½tablespoons chopped fresh mint
    • ½cup shaved pecorino Romano
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

240 calories; 21 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 281 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the dressing: Heat the grapeseed or other oil in a small sauté pan over low heat. When oil begins to shimmer add the garlic, shallot, Calabrian peppers, lemon zest and thyme. Gently cook for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat and transfer to a small mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk thoroughly to combine.

  2. Step 2

    Make the salad: Wash the snap peas and remove the tough string that runs along the interior curve of the pea. Julienne the peas lengthwise, about ¼-inch thick. Put the peas, fennel, 2 tablespoons of the dressing and the salt in a bowl and mix to coat the peas. To serve, sprinkle the mint over the top, drizzle on 1 tablespoon of the dressing and sprinkle the shaved pecorino.

Ratings

4 out of 5
88 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Madeline

Calabrian pepper substitute?

Judy R

Celery or baby bok choy. You could even do radishes sliced. thinly.

Philip

I agree this could use more lemon juice or other acid. I doubled the amount. The Calabrian peppers could be boosted a little as well. They are barely detectable in the amount given. Of course, peppers vary wildly in hotness, even within the same variety. So taste yours, and if you add, add in small amounts. Salad dressing is ruined completely when it just becomes hot sauce.
I never could find the tough string in the peas I bought. I just trimmed the ends, and cut them lengthwise. Worked fine.

Judy R

Cit into very thin strips. You can do this easily with a standard kitchen peeler.

MischZ

The flavors did really well together but I'd recommend blanching the peas.

Annie K

Tip: TJs makes an incredible "Bomba" Calabrian chili sauce perfect for this recipe We didn't use it for this, though, as we wanted to get through a jar of actual full-on Calabrian chilis and didn't even realize they were the same thing! Also subbed basil for mint and champagne vin for lemon (out of both). Instead of neutral oil did half Calabrian chili oil and half EVOO. It was spicy but a winner! Demolished same day over some polenta. Will make again.

andreawaysnewman

My family was obsessed with these peas! They loved the julienne-- which in my case was simply halving them... and not along the seam, just roughly in half-lengthwise.

cr

I used a lot more fennel and mint, added more shallot to the dressing and then blended it. Used fresh spicy Korean peppers in place of Calabrian.

Jamie

I found the mint overpowered the thyme. I think I’ll use one or the other next time.

Liz

Blanch peas lightly after stringing but before cutting. More chili. Use Heritage Farms Hannah cheese. Don't forget salt.

Diane

There are such amount of peppers, I used a jar of roasted peppers which were fine. When I got to the end of making this, I just tossed all of the ingredients together and it was great.

Charlene

Made this and it was indeed delicious.

However while the julienned snap peas look lovely, it makes the salad very difficult to spear with your fork and get into your mouth. Those long, skinny, stiff pieces are not very cooperative.

Remade it the next day and sliced the snap peas crosswise into more bite sized pieced and it was much more user friendly.

Oh and the second day I added fresh corn ant that was amazing!

Natalie

Use more fennel and mint

Christine

I made this for Easter and it was outstanding. I substituted Pimento peppers for the Calabrian and just added a little kick to the dressing. No one complained. One of the best salads I have made in a long time. Declared a "keeper"

Philip

I agree this could use more lemon juice or other acid. I doubled the amount. The Calabrian peppers could be boosted a little as well. They are barely detectable in the amount given. Of course, peppers vary wildly in hotness, even within the same variety. So taste yours, and if you add, add in small amounts. Salad dressing is ruined completely when it just becomes hot sauce.
I never could find the tough string in the peas I bought. I just trimmed the ends, and cut them lengthwise. Worked fine.

Enit

Salad dressing is too oily, not enough lemon. I doubled the lemon and even added a bit of champagne vinegar. I think the ingredients would make a fantastic dressing if just mixed in a blender (all dressing ingredients except the peppers which I would add in the end).
Snap peas too hard to halve also. I subbed the Calabrian with long hot peppers. use fresno red peppers also if you can find them.

Cpic

I have another sugar snap pea salad that calls for blanching the peas before julienning, so plan to try that.

Anne Rabe

I would have preferred them slightly blanched as well.

jaykay

What does it mean to shave the fennel?

Judy R

Cit into very thin strips. You can do this easily with a standard kitchen peeler.

Jolene

What would be a good alternative to fennel in this recipe? It looks appealing, but I've never liked the flavor of fennel.

Judy R

Celery or baby bok choy. You could even do radishes sliced. thinly.

Private notes are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from Whitney Otawka, Greyfield Inn, Cumberland Island, Ga.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.

More Recipes From Kim Severson

Trending on Cooking

Cooking Guides