This vibrant and crunchy snap pea salad, paired with creamy feta and crisp bacon, is the perfect addition to your spring menu and will certainly have you craving salad!
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We always plant a little row of snap peas in the garden and up till now, it’s always been a bit of a disappointment. We had enough to eat on while we were in and out of the garden, and maybe one good stir-fry, but that was about it. So this year I went all out. Planted an unreasonable amount of peas—sweet sugar snap peas, snow peas, and every stringless variety I could find. When I put the effort into weeding something, I want to end up with more bounty than I know what to do with. And that’s exactly what we got!
So I’ve been picking peas every morning, handing them out to unsuspecting passer byers, putting them out at the bakery on Saturdays, and freezing what was left. But I also want to make the most of them while they’re here. Spring can be such a quick season. This snap pea salad is a great way to use up a lot of peas, but more than that it’s a delicious way to change up your side dish rotation!
Snap pea salad is vibrant and crunchy and full of flavor. It holds up so much better than a traditional salad, making it a great dish to take to a summer potluck. Also, this rice wine vinaigrette is so easy and versatile. It’s a go-to salad dressing I rely on for all sorts of crisp vegetables, and it works beautifully with the natural sweetness of the peas. You could also try it with green beans, peppery arugula, or even just a handful of leafy greens.
Assemble the Ingredients
Snap Peas:
If in season, this salad is glorious with fresh-from-the-garden or farmers market sweet snap peas. However, whatever you can source at the grocery store will be just fine! If the snap peas are large enough to have strings, go ahead and prep them by snipping the ends off and removing the tough string using the tip of your knife. If the peas were picked young and tender, you may be able to skip this step. Larger pods may benefit from a quick blanch in cold water, then an immediate plunge into ice water to preserve that bright green color and crisp texture.
Feta Cheese:
If you haven’t tried feta on a salad before, it’s beautifully creamy and salty. It pairs perfectly with the crisp snap peas, and looks a little fancy! I prefer buying feta in blocks because I think it stays a little creamier. Then I just tear off a chunk and crumble it over the salad with my fingers. Or try creamy goat cheese or ricotta salata for a little textural variation.
Green Onions:
Scallions bring a lot of flavor to this salad and go well with the spring assortment. Feel free to be heavy handed. Or swap in some finely sliced red onion for a slightly stronger flavor.
Bacon:
Confession. I recently discovered the key to enjoying salads all summer long without getting tired of them and it’s THIS bacon. What’s so great about it? It’s PRECOOKED. I’ll admit that I’ve always been against the idea of precooked bacon. Life just shouldn’t be that easy. HOWEVER. It is SO AMAZING when it comes time to quickly throw a salad together for lunch or right as you’re setting the dinner table. Not only is it way easier than frying bacon, it’s actually really good bacon. I just cut several slices into a large skillet, heat it up for about 3 minutes over medium heat or high heat until crisp, and throw the whole thing on top of my salad. Game changer.
Rice Wine Vinaigrette:
I’ve been making this dressing for years to top any fresh greens salad, and it goes amazingly well with this snap pea salad. It’s sweet and salty, and the rice vinegar is perfectly mild yet flavorful. It’s so easy to whip up, making it a great recipe to have in your back pocket. I like to add a splash of fresh lemon juice, maybe some lemon zest, and finish it with extra-virgin olive oil. Add a crushed garlic clove, a large pinch of kosher salt, and some black pepper for balance. If you’d rather not make your own, this is a great substitute.
Assembling a Snap Pea Salad
Snap pea salad comes together so easily. The first thing I do is chop my bacon into half inch pieces and throw them in a skillet to crisp up. Now your kitchen smells like bacon, so win-win. Like I mentioned, I love having precooked bacon on hand for all my summer salads mostly because my husband and kids are so much happier to eat their veggies if I throw in some bacon. Even better if a bit of bacon drippings makes it into the bowl!
Make up your salad dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a jar, putting the lid on, and giving it a shake. This salad dressing shaker bottle is really neat because you can measure the ingredients right into the bottle and dispense without making a mess, then store it for next time. You could also whisk buttermilk into the vinaigrette for a creamy twist.
Next, give your peas a quick wash and once-over to make sure there are no strings. Chop the peas into approximately 1/2 inch wide bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl. Follow this with a hearty helping of green onions. Take a step back and congratulate yourself on making something so vibrant and colorful and healthy! Feel free to pile sugar snap peas high—this is your moment.
Crumble your feta cheese on top of the greens. I like to leave it in pretty large chunks, remembering that it will break up a little as you mix the dressing in. Other cheeses, like good old burrata, would be a great addition too.
Finally, take the skillet of bacon and dump it over top the salad.
To Dress or Not to Dress your Snap Pea Salad
Herein lies the beauty of the snap pea salad. These are not wimpy greens we’re dealing with. Nothing is going to wilt or get soggy. I love that I can fearlessly dress this salad before dinner or before heading to the BBQ, or simply know that I can add the vinaigrette and eat on it for days to come.
So I vote to dress the salad before setting it out. This also gives the right snap peas a little bit of time to marinate in the dressing and soak up some of the flavor. Give it a taste and add a sprinkle of sea salt or another dash of black pepper if needed. And if you’re looking for something slightly different? Try tossing in a handful of peppery arugula or even a bed of leafy greens next time.
Snap Pea Salad with Feta and Bacon
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 quart Sugar Snap Peas
- 1 bunch Green Onions chopped
- 4 ounces Feta Cheese
- 8 slices Bacon
For the Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup Olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar can use red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup Water
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 Clove Garlic minced
- Freshly Cracked Pepper
Instructions
- First, chop bacon into half inch pieces and throw them in a skillet to crisp up. When the bacon is brown in crisp, take the pan off the heat.
- Make up your salad dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a jar, putting the lid on, and giving it a shake. Make sure to shake thouroughly right before dressing the salad.
- Next, give your peas a quick wash and once-over to make sure there are no strings. Chop the peas into approximately 1/2 inch wide bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl. Follow this with a hearty helping of green onions.
- Crumble your feta cheese on top of the greens. I like to leave it in pretty large chunks, remembering that it will break up a little as you mix the dressing in.
- Finally, take the skillet of bacon and dump it over top the salad.
- Dress the salad as desired and either serve immediately or let is set for an hour or so to marinate.
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