I have the most delicious recipe for you guys today – crispy sugar snap peas with dukkah, mint and sea salt!!

This recipe came about merely by accident. We grow sugar snap peas in our garden every year because it’s a great way to get our kids to eat more veggies. They run out to the garden almost everyday to pick off whatever is ready to eat and just stand right next to the plant while they inhale freshly grown veggies that are still warm from the sun.

And usually that’s exactly how far the sugar snap peas make it – from plant to kiddo mouth. I don’t remember one pea even making it into the house within the last couple of years.

But this year was different. This year brought long rainstorms all the way into the month of June which was quickly followed by the hottest days of the year so far – and those sugar snap peas LOVED it! They soaked up ALL the rain and ALL the sun and I quickly needed ALL the buckets to haul the peas into the house this year.

They kids ate their fill during lunch breaks and I packed them into snacks for long car trips to the zoo – peas started showing up at dinner time and the kids were happy until one day I replaced their backyard watermelon snack with a side of sugar snap peas and that was it. The line was drawn and it was time for me to get more creative than just a side of raw sugar snap peas.

So I thought about this crispy shishito pepper recipe and wondered if I could do the same with the snap peas? I mean, those peppers are one of my favorite things to eat in the summer with a cold beer or glass of wine – just simply cooked with some olive oil in a screaming hot pan until crispy, and tossed with some flakey sea salt before snacking.

And that’s what I did. Hot oil in a screaming hot pan, adding the snap peas until they got crispy on one side before flipping to the other, then settling them on a big platter to top with wispy bits of fresh mint, a heavy dusting of dukkah, and sea salt flakes. Hot, crunchy, fresh and so perfect with a cold beer or glass of wine on a sunny summer day.

I’m telling you, I am already hoping for another heat wave just so I can have enough sugar snap peas to make this delicious dish again!!

Happy snacking!

Jenn

PS Here is another pea recipe you might enjoy:
sugar snap pea, radish and quinoa salad – a crispy vegetable salad packed full of protein!

crispy sugar snap peas with dukkah, mint and sea salt

Hot, crunchy and delicious - these crispy sugar snap peas are topped with wispy bits of fresh mint, a heavy dusting of dukkah, and sea salt flakes - a perfect snack on a sunny summer day.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

for the peas:

1 pound sugar snap peas
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp dukkah
2 tbsp roughly chopped mint leaves
1 tsp flake sea salt

for the dukkah:

1 cup shelled pistachios
1 cup almonds
1 tbsp whole coriander seed
1 tbsp whole cumin seed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Instructions

for the sugar snap peas:

Rinse and dry the sugar snap peas. Snap off tough end with your fingers. Pull the string along length of pod, then repeat to remove string from other side. Repeat on each pea until all peas have been peeled.
Place a cast iron skillet or other heavy bottomed pan over high heat. Once the pan is extremely hot (and almost smoking), add half of the olive oil to the pan, followed by half of the peas. Give the peas a quick stir and then let them sizzle in the hot oil for about two minutes, or until they get crispy and lightly browned. Flip the peas over and cook them on the other side for about two minutes, or until they get crispy and lightly browned.
Remove the peas from the hot pan and place them onto a platter. Repeat the same cooking process with the remaining oil and peas.
Once all the peas are cooked, sprinkle the dukkah, mint, and sea salt over the peas and serve immediately.

for the dukkah:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the nuts onto a baking sheet and cook the nuts until roasted, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent them from burning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Repeat the same method above with the coriander, cumin, sesame seeds, and peppercorns. Toast the seeds until the become fragrant and lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Place the nuts, the toasted seeds, and all remaining ingredients into a food processor. Grind the ingredients together until it resembles small breadcrumbs and is dry and crumbly. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

These peas are so delicious topped with the dukkah, mint, and sea salt combination - but if you don't want to make dukkah, you can omit it completely from the recipe. Other toppings that might be delicious - freshly grated parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, orange or lemon zest, chopped nuts, nigella seeds.