Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Toasted Almonds and Parmesan
This salad delivers crunch with a capital C. The combination of sugar snap peas and roasted almonds is a texture bomb that you'll want to dig into again and again. The sweet flavor of the peas is balanced beautifully with lemon juice and olive oil. For a dash of color, add a few thinly sliced radishes and swap Pecorino for Parmesan.
Ingredients
- 1 pound sugar snap peas
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds (see note)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
- 3/4 cup loosely packed Parmesan shaved with a vegetable peeler
Instructions
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Snap the tip of the stem end off the peas and peel away the attached string (you can skip this step for stringless peas and young snap peas that are less fibrous). Cut crosswise on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick pieces.
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In a medium bowl, toss together the snap peas, mint, almonds, lemon juice, olive oil, and a big pinch of salt. Taste and add more salt as needed. Add the shaved Parmesan and toss lightly. Serve.
Recipe Notes
To roast almonds, heat a medium skillet over medium-high. When the pan is hot, add the raw almonds. After 1 minute, begin turning the almonds in the pan every 30 seconds or so until they’re fragrant and mottled with brown spots, minutes total. Keep a close eye on the nuts, since they are quick to burn if left unattended.