If you’re a crunchy food superfan, this is one side salad you’re definitely going to want to try this summer. Diced celery and carrots give an amazing crunch to this cheesy pea salad. And, once you add in a creamy homemade buffalo sauce made with hot sauce, honey, sour cream, and a few other ingredients, I think that you’ll find this pea salad has just as much flavor as it does crunch.
So, I’ve been trying to figure out what my favorite veggie of choice is for this summer. Last year, I think it was definitely corn. Remember this Shrimp & Corn Salad with Chesapeake Seasoning, this Tortellini Pasta Salad with Corn and Blueberries, and this Smoky Ground Cumin & Paprika Corn Salad? Heck, I bet B.O.B. Bob and I probably ate corn for dinner at least two times a week all throughout last summer. I’ll let you in on a little not-so-unknown secret though. My fresh summer corn must always be cut off the cob first. To be honest, I get a bit creeped out by people who can eat corn straight off the cob without even batting an eye. Ick, gross, cringe; totally not happening y’all. Remember, I’m also the girl who eats fried chicken after it has been taken off of the bone, pizza with a knife and a fork, and ribs only after they have been cut off of the bone as well. So obviously, having corn guts smeared all over my face just isn’t going to be my thing. Y’all, I’ll just admit it, I’m not a fan of foods that are messy to eat.
Thankfully, this year’s favorite summer veggie of choice doesn’t seem to be corn again. Nope, instead, it’s frozen peas, which are also not one of my all-time favorite veggies because I’m so darn particular about how they are cooked. I can’t stand for them to be mushy, yet I also don’t want to eat them when they are hard as a rock either. Perhaps that’s why I love them so much more when they are used to make side salads, like this Baby Sweet Pea & Radish Salad with Havarti & Dill, this Green Pea & Herb Macaroni Salad, and this Warm Roasted Carrot & Pea Chipotle Salad. Boiling the frozen peas in water for 5 to 8 minutes helps to take a bit of their hardness away, without turning them into absolute mush. And, a little bath in ice water right after, helps them to retain their gorgeous color. Add in the fact that a pea salad doesn’t require cutting corn off of the cob or having corn guts plastered to your face and stuck in your teeth for days, and I’d say a pea salad is definitely the way to go, don’t you?
Ingredients:
- 1 (13-oz.) Bag Frozen Peas
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Honey
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 4 Carrots, Peeled & Diced
- 4 Celery Stalks, Diced
- 4 oz. Medium Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated
Directions:
- Fill a medium pot with cold water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Add the frozen peas to the water; cook for 7 minutes.
- Strain the peas and add them to a bowl of ice water. Allow the cooked peas to cool in the ice bath for 15 minutes and then drain well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, parsley, vinegar, hot sauce, olive oil, honey, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Add the carrots, celery, peas, and cheese to the buffalo sauce. Stir to combine.
Suggestions:
- I used dried parsley in this recipe because I did not have any fresh on hand. If you have fresh parsley available, go ahead and use it. I suggest at least 2-tablespoons.
- Make sure to dice the carrots and celery small enough that they aren’t too much bigger than the peas. All of the vegetables should be roughly the same size.
- You can eat this salad right away, however, it tastes best after it has been refrigerated for at least 4 hours.
- Garnish this salad with additional hot sauce right before serving.
Improvements:
- Add some finely minced shallot or red onion to this salad.
- Replace half of the sour cream in this recipe with mayonnaise.
- Add a little bit of blue cheese to this crunchy pea salad.
Ingredients:
- 1 (13-oz.) Bag Frozen Peas
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Honey
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 4 Carrots, Peeled & Diced
- 4 Celery Stalks, Diced
- 4 oz. Medium Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated
Directions:
- Fill a medium pot with cold water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Add the frozen peas to the water; cook for 7 minutes.
- Strain the peas and add them to a bowl of ice water. Allow the cooked peas to cool in the ice bath for 15 minutes and then drain well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, parsley, vinegar, hot sauce, olive oil, honey, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Add the carrots, celery, peas, and cheese to the buffalo sauce. Stir to combine.
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