When my first box from my CSA contained pea shoots and beet shoots, I was enthralled and hesitant at the same time. I had read about pea shoots and admired their pictures (they are always so pretty and springlike), but I had never used them or eaten them before. Some lovely reader left a link in a comment to this salad, from Bon Appetit. It sounded intriguing and as a plus my CSA box also contained some absolutely gorgeous radishes! Just look at the picture, they are a lovely pale blushing pink. The original recipe called for cumin seeds and fresh dill. That sounded kind of odd to me. I know, who am I to second guess Molly Stevens, but second guess I did, and I omitted them from the final recipe, which now leaves me wondering how would it have tasted with those ingredients. I planned on making it again as written, but alas, there have been no more pea tendrils in my box.
This really was an easy and healthy salad. So pretty! I served it as a main dish salad and it was quite filling. My husband was sort of taken back by all the radishes, but they were so mild. These were the first radishes of the season, and they almost didn't even taste like a radish, hardly any bite to them at all, just sweet crunchy goodness.
Pea Tendrils Salad with Radishes and Feta Cheese
Serves 2 (as a main dish), 4 as a side salad
Juice of one lime
2 teaspoons honey
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 cups frozen petit peas, thawed
1 bunch radishes, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 cups fresh pea tendrils
Whisk together dressing ingredients. Place salad ingredients in a large bowl, pour dressing over and toss.
sarah says
oh man! i wish i had seen this before i went to the farmer's market this afternoon. there were pea shoots and radishes everywhere, and this would have really guided the way. looks delish.
KatyK says
That salad looks so fresh and delicious! I've got to try it. Do you get your veggies from Crabtree farms?
Kevin says
That is a nice and fresh looking spring salad. I have been enjoying using feta in salads lately.
swirlingnotions says
What a gorgeous salad! So I have a silly question for you. I have gazillions of peas growing outside, and I snipped off a few of the little curly ends to use as pea shoots. But then when I looked at them, they seemed a bit tough to just eat raw. What, exactly, do edible pea tendrils look like? Do you think they get too tough to eat once a plant gets to a certain age?
Patricia Scarpin says
Pam, you had me at "feta cheese" - what a beautiful and fresh salad!