Snap Pea Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
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If you’ve been reading Alexandra’s Kitchen for awhile, you know, for me, this — right now — is the most wonderful time of the year …
… It’s CSA season!
We’re actually three weeks in at this point and have, as usual, been enjoying lots of greens, spring onions, turnips, radishes, and herbs.
This week, too, the crunchiest, sweetest snap peas arrived, and I immediately thought of this Bon Appetit snap pea salad, which I made last year, but never got around to sharing here.
Now’s the time to make it. What’s most interesting to me about this salad is its assembly: You toss slivered snap peas with lemon zest, salt, and olive oil, but no acid. All of the acid comes from the dressing, a mix of buttermilk, yogurt, fresh lemon juice, and garlic. You don’t ever toss the dressing with the snap peas, rather you heap the snap peas atop the dressing. As you serve, the dressing and peas unite.
It’s unconventional but it works, and there’s something about the crisp snap peas with the cool, tangy dressing that just tastes so good. It’s especially delicious aside grilled bread … something to think about if you’re breaking out the grill next week.
Wanting to put to use the summer squash, spring onions, and basil from this week’s CSA, I added those to the mix. The verdict: delicious, but the snap peas are essential because they remain crisp and provide that necessary texture. The summer squash, once salted, begins relaxing, and while I wouldn’t hesitate to make the salad again with each of these elements, it’s truly special with the snap peas.
In sum: use what you have on hand, but if you don’t have anything, buy snap peas.
CSA Season is Here | Let’s Review
It’s not too late to join a CSA! Roxbury Farm CSA is still accepting new members. Read more about CSAs here and find one here.
- Always snip greens from roots: radishes, turnips, kohlrabi, carrots, beets, etc. Store the greens and roots in the fridge. I keep all of the greens in one bag and the roots in another bag — just my preference.
- Always snip off rubber bands from anything they are binding — herbs, asparagus, radishes, etc.
- Herbs: Store basil out of the fridge in a glass with the stems dipped into a little bit of water. Trim the stems every other day and change the water. Parsley and cilantro keep well in the fridge.
- A few helpful pages:
Not pictured: the mandoline! I DID NOT slice this zucchini with that knife. Used my favorite Benriner Mandoline.
Snap Pea Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 as a side
Description
Adapted from this Bon Appetit recipe.
You can use other vegetables in addition to the snap peas in this salad. I’ve had success with summer squash and spring onions. That said, the snap peas are essential because they retain their crispness, and their crunchy texture is essential.
Ingredients
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8 oz. sugar snap peas, strings removed, thinly sliced
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2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
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1 lemon
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Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
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Freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup buttermilk
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1/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
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A large pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Place sugar snap peas in a large bowl. Dress with the 2 tablespoons oil, the zest of the lemon, a pinch of sea salt, and pepper. Toss lightly and set aside.
- Juice the lemon — you should have about 3 tablespoons. In a large serving bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, yogurt, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, garlic, and a large pinch of kosher salt. Taste. Adjust with more salt if necessary.
- Taste the snap peas. You’re tasting for salt here as there is no acid — they should taste nicely seasoned.
- Pile the sugar snap peas on top of the dressing. Season with more pepper to taste. Serve, being sure to scoop some of the buttermilk dressing onto a plate as you serve.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Toss
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
22 Comments on “Snap Pea Salad with Buttermilk Dressing”
hi, thanks for your blog! I’m eating healthier! Did you slice the snap peas with a mandoline, also?
Nope! By hand. Are you on instagram?? I did a story if so… linked in the recipe box.
I love buttermilk dressing. I use Heidi’s. If snap peas are still around when we get to our destination I’ll make this! Rock on Ali!
Fingers crossed they are Dana!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I gave the recipe 5 stars but I loath buttermilk. Any other suggestion?
I would just use regular plain yogurt (as opposed to Greek) and mix it with the salt, fresh lemon, and garlic till it tastes good. It will be a little thicker than the buttermilk dressing, but still so good.
That sounds delicious…..and refreshing in summer! Putting it on my to make list 🙂
🙂 🙂 🙂
What if I can’t find buttermilk anywhere? Can I just add lemon juice to milk like I do when I bake? Thanks.
You could definitely make your own, or you could just use plain (as opposed to Greek) yogurt for all of the dressing … the dressing will be a little thicker, but still so good.
Thanks for this recipe, Alexandra. I made it for dinner on July 5 (served alongside a NY Strip steak) and it was delicious. I did sub regular yogurt for buttermilk because I didn’t feel like buying buttermilk if I wasn’t going to use it all, and it turned out just fine. Like you, I added zucchini and spring onions because I had them from my CSA. I will definitely make this again!
So happy to hear this Alleira! Nice call on using regular yogurt — it’s got that nice tang 🙂
I also made this recipe by substituting plain yogurt and it worked out really well, very happy with it. Gave it 5 stars!
Yay! So happy to hear this.
Wonderful new way to use snap peas. I made it as written and added mint and dill – lots – as garnish. The dressing is great!
So great to hear this, Sally! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Excellent way to prepare sweet peas in the pod. Got them yesterday from my Roxbury CSA. I used the delicious buttermilk I always get from the Coop. It come from a diary farm up above Glenn’s Falls. Cut the peas across rather than lengthwise. Thank you.
Great to hear, Christina! I look forward to this one all summer. So glad you liked it. Thanks for writing!
This was tasty! I think I’d prefer the dressing to be a little thicker and less acidic, so next time I’ll probably cut the lemon juice to 1T and the buttermilk to 1/2 C, but I loved the concept.
Great to hear, Alison 🙂 And definitely adjust this one to taste. Thanks for sharing your thoughts/notes 💕
This was so delicious! I didn’t have enough snap peas so I added some cucumber, also added dill to the dressing. I followed Ali’s suggestion to serve alongside grilled bread. Yum!
Yum! Cucumbers + dill is never a bad idea. Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂