zesty pea fritter salad

I’m going to make a point of cooking with fresh peas and pea shoots as much as humanly possible in the next month to really take full advantage of the spring season. When I saw a picture of this pea fritter salad in Eating Well magazine last month, I was immediately salivating and adding different pea-related items to my grocery list. And then I bought a mint plant for my windowsill herb garden. I love a good vegetarian meal that’s fresh and green but also has some substance so you’re fully satisfied, which is just what these little pea fritters provide.

I also really, really love citrusy yogurt sauce. I realized I’ve been making some kind of yogurt sauce to go with about 75% of my meals at this point, and I’m not mad about it. It’s a delicious way to dress up a meal, and yogurt sauce is surprisingly versatile. You can make it with different types of citrus, herbs, and spices, and I guarantee it will be amazing every time.

some deets

This recipe calls for a Greek yogurt-based sauce that includes sugar snap peas, feta, dill, and lemon juice. At first I thought including the snap peas in the yogurt sauce was a little odd, but you just have to make sure to slice them nice and thin. Once I made the sauce I was so impressed with the result. I’ll definitely need to start including snap peas in more of my yogurt sauces from now on.

Another one of my favorite pieces of this recipe are the fresh pea shoots in the salad. These delicate little greens are such a treat every time spring comes around. They’re a great way to mix up your rotation of salad greens, and they’re just so pretty and whimsical as well!

Let’s make fritters!

Here’s what you’ll need for the actual fritter portion of this recipe.

Frozen peas I suppose you could use fresh English peas here, but it’s definitely more work to remove them from the pods and since they’re being fried it doesn’t really matter. Just make sure to thaw them well before attempting to mash!

Lemon zest and garlic These will give the fritters a pop of citrus and yummy garlic flavor

Eggs, panko crumbs, and flour These ingredients will help meld the fritters together. Use more or less of the panko crumbs depending on how big your eggs are. If the mixture is super liquidy still, you can add an extra dash

Fresh mint You should also totally invest in a little mint plant to have on hand. It’s definitely one of the best spring/summer herbs

I hope you love this awesome spring recipe and enjoy pea season while you still can!

⟶ the recipe

zesty pea fritter salad

ingredients

1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and thinly sliced

¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 clove of garlic, grated

1 10-ounce package of frozen peas, thawed

2 large eggs

¾ cup panko crumbs

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 package of pea shoots

½ cucumber, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Prep time

20 minutes

Cook time

15 minutes

Total time

35 minutes

4 servings

instructions

Mix snap peas, yogurt, feta, dill, lemon juice, a few grinds of pepper, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Mash the thawed peas with a large fork in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs, panko, flour, mint, garlic, lemon zest, and some additional pepper.

Heat some oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Shape 4 pea fritters from the mixture, about 3 inches wide, and place on the pan. Cook until both sides begin to brown and get crispy, being careful not to burn. Transfer pea fritters to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the pea mixture has been used up.

Combine pea shoots and cucumbers in a bowl, and top with the fritters and yogurt sauce.

⟶ recipe notes

Adapted from Eating Well

⟶ make it ahead and store it

You can make the yogurt sauce ahead of time and refrigerate for up to four days
The pea fritters will keep pretty well for at least a couple days. Just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. When you’re ready to reheat them, oil up a skillet and reheat them on the stove for a few minutes so they don’t totally lose their crispiness