Snap Pea Salad With Mint and Tahini-Harissa Dressing Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated March 27, 2019
20170406-snap-pea-salad-harissa-yogurt-5.jpg
J. Kenji López-Alt

Why It Works

  • Blanching gives the snap peas a crisp texture, bright green color, and sweet flavor.
  • Blending the garlic directly with lemon juice helps tame its harsh bite.

Sweet snap peas and mint is a classic combination that lends itself well to variation. Here we riff on it by adding yogurt and a couple other flavorful ingredients like tahini and harissa. It's light yet rich, cooling yet spicy.

Recipe Details

Snap Pea Salad With Mint and Tahini-Harissa Dressing Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 20 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 pound (450g) snap peas, ends and strings pulled off

  • 1 medium clove garlic

  • 2 tablespoons (15ml) juice and 1 teaspoon (2g) grated zest from 1 lemon, divided

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) sesame tahini

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30ml) harissa paste, to taste

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) Greek-style yogurt

  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 small shallot, finely minced (about 1/2 ounce; 15g)

  • 12 mint leaves, finely minced

  • Piment d'espelette, crushed Aleppo chiles, gochugaru (Korean chile flakes), or other crushed red pepper flakes, for serving

Directions

  1. Bring a large saucepan of heavily salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Add snap peas and boil until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, transfer snap peas to ice bath to chill.

  2. Combine garlic and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a mini chopper or blender. Blend until garlic is finely minced. Add tahini, yogurt, harissa, and 1 tablespoon olive oil and blend to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

  3. Whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, lemon zest, shallot, mint, and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl. Drain snap peas and dry carefully in a salad spinner or on a paper towel-lined tray. Add to bowl with dressing and toss thoroughly to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with harissa-tahini sauce. Sprinkle with chili flakes. Serve immediately.

Special equipment

Blender, hand blender, or mini chopper

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
139Calories
10gFat
9gCarbs
5gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories139
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g13%
Saturated Fat 1g7%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 188mg8%
Total Carbohydrate 9g3%
Dietary Fiber 3g10%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 39mg194%
Calcium 55mg4%
Iron 2mg11%
Potassium 265mg6%
*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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