Fresh Corn and Pea Salad
My mother loved fresh peas and she’d routinely prowl local farmers’ markets to find them. Purple hull peas were her favorite, but she also had a thing for cream peas, black-eyed peas, or just about any fresh legume that showed up at the farmstand. She’d make us kids shell the peas, and I always suspected it was to keep us out of her hair. I didn’t mind, though. For some reason I enjoyed shelling peas. Naturally, I liked eating them better than shelling them and this recipe, which makes enough to feed a crowd, showcases peas and my mother’s other summer favorite, fresh corn. Just like my mother, I find fresh peas at Texas farmers’ markets and sometimes even at my regular grocery store. Any fresh southern pea (see Tip) will work, but I especially favor cream peas. Do not use green peas, which will not hold up. I use canned black-eyed peas if I can’t get my hands on fresh and the salad still shines.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels; set aside. Dispose of all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat from the skillet. Cook the onion and celery until the onions are translucent but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the fresh peas and enough cool water to cover. Simmer the bean mixture, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the peas are tender, up to 45 minutes. Thoroughly drain off the liquid and pour the pea mixture into a large bowl.
Step 2
Place the peas in a large bowl along with the cooked onion, celery, and garlic; stir until combined. If you are using canned peas, don’t cook them; just rinse and drain. Stir in the red and green bell peppers, and fresh corn.
Step 3
In a bowl, whisk together the vinegars, olive oil, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Pour into the pea mixture and toss to combine well. Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces and stir it into the salad with the chopped chives and parsley.
Step 4
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours so the flavors can blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.
do it early
Step 5
This salad keeps well. It can be made at least 24 hours in advance and holds up to 3 days, making it a slam-dunk dish for a summer party or potluck.
tip
Step 6
A word about peas: When Southerners talk peas, also known as southern peas or cowpeas, they often are talking about what people in other parts of the country call beans. Most have a small but pronounced eye that marks where the pea was attached to the pod. (Eyeless cream peas are among the exceptions.) For obvious reasons, Southerners also fondly refer to the peas as “shellies,” and as a result of the hours I spent as a child shelling them, I can attest to the sad fact that they take a lot longer to liberate from their shells than they do to eat.
