Charcoal Chimney–Grilled Sugar Snap Peas With Buttermilk-Dill Dressing Recipe

The intense heat of a charcoal chimney starter will blister sugar snap peas without overcooking them.

By
Sasha Marx
Sasha Marx
Senior Culinary Editor
Sasha is a senior culinary editor at Serious Eats. He has over a decade of professional cooking experience, having worked his way up through a number of highly regarded and award-winning restaurant kitchens, followed by years spent in test kitchens for food publications.
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Updated March 11, 2021
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Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Grilling sugar snap peas over the intense high heat of a charcoal chimney starter allows you to blister and cook them in record time, preserving their juicy crispness while also giving them plenty of char.
  • A buttermilk-dill dressing, packed with fresh herbs, makes a perfect dipping sauce for this fresh cookout snack.

Grilling sweet and succulent snap peas isn't as easy as it should be. If you manage to keep them from falling through the grill grates, you still often end up chasing them around the grill with a pair of tongs as they char to a crisp. Grilling them in small batches, hard and fast, directly over a charcoal chimney starter, blisters them quickly while keeping them juicy, tender-crisp, and bright green. Paired with a creamy buttermilk-dill dressing, they make an awesome cookout snack.

Recipe Details

Charcoal Chimney–Grilled Sugar Snap Peas With Buttermilk-Dill Dressing Recipe

Active 15 mins
Total 20 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (115g; 120ml)

  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (30g; 30ml)

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (15g; 15ml)

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (15g; 15ml)

  • 1/2 teaspoon (3g) sugar

  • 1 small shallot (2 tablespoons; 25g), minced

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • 1/2 cup (20g) finely chopped fresh dill

  • 1/4 cup (15g) thinly sliced fresh chives

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Snap Peas:

  • 1 pound (450g) sugar snap peas, trimmed

  • 2 teaspoons (10ml) vegetable oil

Directions

  1. For the Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, shallot, and garlic until well combined. Stir in dill and chives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

  2. For the Snap Peas: Light 1 chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, set a small wire rack on top of the chimney and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean (if necessary) and oil the wire rack.

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  3. Toss snap peas and oil in a large bowl until evenly coated with oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

  4. Working in batches, arrange snap peas on the prepared wire rack, taking care not to overcrowd them. Cook until snap peas are blistered and charred on first side, about 30 seconds. Flip peas and cook on second side until just lightly charred on second side, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer to a plate.

    20190619-charcoal-chimney-grilled-vegetables-vicky-wasik-12

  5. Repeat grilling process with remaining snap peas. To serve, spread buttermilk-dill dressing in an even layer in a serving bowl. Arrange snap peas on top of the dressing. Serve immediately.

Special equipment

Chimney starter, grill, small wire rack

Make-Ahead and Storage

This dish is best enjoyed immediately.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
94Calories
6gFat
8gCarbs
4gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories94
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g7%
Saturated Fat 1g4%
Cholesterol 3mg1%
Sodium 196mg9%
Total Carbohydrate 8g3%
Dietary Fiber 2g9%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 41mg205%
Calcium 69mg5%
Iron 2mg10%
Potassium 266mg6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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