A bowl full of just-shelled peas is an anticipation of pure pleasure—if the peas make it into the bowl at all, sweet and crunchy as they are. But frozen peas also have wonderful flavor—and save you a ton of work in the kitchen. The key to preserving the wonderfully sweet flavor and crisp texture of peas is to barely cook them.
Briefly boiled or steamed English peas need very little embellishment—just a small bit of butter and a little salt, maybe chopped mint or basil. Sauté snow peas in sesame oil and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and salt.
Crunch on crisp and juicy sugar snap peas (an edible-pod pea that is a cross between snow peas and English peas) raw with dip or slice into thin ribbons and toss with coarsely shredded radishes and vinaigrette. No matter what kind of peas you have on hand, here’s how to buy, prep and cook them, plus freezing instructions to keep sweet peas around a little longer.
Buying Peas
The short shelf life of English peas in particular means they can be difficult to find fresh. Outside of growing your own, a farmstand or farmers’ market is your best bet. For all three varieties, choose pods that are crisp, glossy and bright green, with fresh-looking ends. Avoid pods that are dull, faded, yellowing, blemished, limp or overly mature.
