Spring Peas with Mint

Spring Peas with Mint Butter

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A trio of English, snap, and snow peas blanched and cooked in mint butter is a springtime seasonal delight.

Ann Taylor Pittman

Updated on April 24, 2024

Tested by

Jasmine Smith

Spring Peas with Mint Butter — Photo:
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Total Time:

20 mins

Yield:

6 servings

Buttery and herbaceous, this recipe is a pea lover’s delight. Tender snow peas, sweet English peas, and crunchy sugar snap peas are tossed in a simple mint butter. Cultured butter, made from cream that’s been fermented prior to churning, has a richer and slightly more tangy flavor. It’s an ideal ingredient for this recipe, though regular butter will also do.

Pea shoots (also called tendrils) have a flavor between spinach and, well, peas. Here, they echo the flavors of all three pea varieties while crunchy blanched and toasted hazelnuts add depth of flavor. Chives also herald the essence of spring, adding a slightly garlicky note to this dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are pea shoots?

Pea shoots grow with the plant along with flowers, which are plucked so that the sugar can concentrate into the stems and leaves for that sweet pea taste. Pea shoots can be eaten raw in salads or can be cooked in short bursts, as in stir-fries.
What is cultured butter?

Cultured butter is made with pasteurized cream treated with lactic acid bacteria and allowed to ferment at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours prior to churning. This intensifies the flavors, resulting in a tangy final product. Cultured butter is ideal for spreading on bread and using on vegetables, as in this recipe.
What is blanching?

Blanching, the process of quickly cooking vegetables in boiling water and then shocking them in a bath of ice and water, helps preserve the bright green color of three kinds of peas in this dish.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

“Since this recipe is so simple, use the best butter you can find,” says developer Ann Taylor Pittman. “Salted cultured butter has loads more complexity than standard butter.” Food & Wine test cook Jasmine Smith recommends blanching the vegetables in the same pot by working in batches up to 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Ingredients

2 quarts water
1/4 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 2 1/2 cups)
10 ounces shelled fresh English peas (about 2 cups)
5 ounces snow peas, trimmed (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup salted cultured butter (such as Vermont Creamery)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus mint leaves for garnish
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for garnish
2 cups fresh pea shoots or tendrils (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped blanched hazelnuts, toasted
Flaky sea salt, for garnish

Directions

Cook the peas

Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Bring water and 1/4 cup kosher salt to a boil in a large pot over high. Prepare a large bowl of ice and water. Add English peas to boiling water; cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
Shock in ice water

Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Remove sugar snap peas using a spider or a slotted spoon; place in ice bath. Repeat boiling and shocking process with English peas and snow peas, boiling each separately until crisp-tender and vibrant green, 4 to 5 minutes for English peas and about 1 minute for snow peas, adding both to bowl of ice and water. Let pea mixture cool in ice bath 2 minutes. Drain peas, and pat dry.
Sauté pea mixture in mint butter

Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium. Add chives and mint; cook, stirring often, 30 seconds. Add peas, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until peas are heated and evenly coated in butter, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in pea shoots. Transfer mixture to a serving platter. Sprinkle with hazelnuts; garnish with flaky sea salt, mint leaves, and additional pepper.