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Spring Pea Salad with Mint Vinaigrette

Bright and Springy, this pea salad is a meal thanks to the avocado and feta cubes. The crunch from the radishes and cucumbers, and the flavour of mint in the dressing makes for the perfect salad for brunch or weekday dinner.
Course Salad
Cuisine American, Canadian
Keyword mint, radishes, salad, sugar snap peas
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Spring Pea Salad

  • 1 cup of shelled fresh sweet peas see Notes
  • 2-3 Little Gems Lettuce or other tender salad greens like oak, butter or cress, enough for 4 people
  • small handful purple or green basil, parsley or even dill, loosely torn
  • 2 mini Cucumbers thinly sliced
  • 4 radishes thinly sliced
  • 1 Avocado cubed
  • 100 grams feta cut into cubes or 4 oz
  • Coarse pepper and salt

Mint Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves , packed
  • 3 tbsp runny honey
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped shallot
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

Spring Pea Salad

  1. To blanch the peas, have a small pot of salted water come to a boil. Have a bowl of cold water and ice ready. When the water is boiling, add the shelled peas and boil for 30-45 seconds, depending on how large the peas are. Quickly transfer them to the ice water bath using a slotted spoon or spider. Once they are completely cooled, pat them dry on a towel. They are now ready for the salad.
  2. Arrange the lettuce leaves cut into bite sized pieces on a large platter or bowl. Add the torn herb leaves in amongst the lettuce leaves.
  3. Add the peas, cucumber slices, radish slices, avocado and feta cubes on top of the greens. Sprinkle the pepper and a little salt over everything. Serve with the Mint Vinaigrette.

Mint Vinaigrette

  1. Add everything for the vinaigrette to a blender or food processor and blend for 2-3 minutes until completely broken down and well combined. Taste and re-season as desired. I use a magic bullet type for this process and it works great.

Recipe Notes

As with all my salads, this is more of a method than an exact science.  Use more of the ingredients you like, whether the peas, the avocado or the feta. Feel free to add other vegetables to the salad. Blanched asparagus, green beans, or even shaved fennel would be lovely.
The vinaigrette is fabulous for all your spring salads. Make enough to last the week, store in the fridge and take out to let it come to room temperature before using.

Serve with poached eggs, baked salmon, or grilled chicken for a complete meal.