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)
139 Calories
10g Fat
9g Carbs
5g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 139
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 13%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 188mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 39mg 194%
Calcium 55mg 4%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 265mg 6%
*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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