About

Playing favorites among the three main varieties of peas would be like playing favorites of your children. Each variety of pea is unique enough in texture and flavor to stand out on its own.

Sweet Peas are the more common, shelled before eating. They are found fresh for only a couple of months, but are readily available frozen, which also removes the step of shelling. Sweet peas lose their flavor quickly, so I don’t recommend buying them from the store. I love to lightly sauté fresh peas in butter and shallots.

Snow Peas are flat. So much so, you can barely tell there are peas growing inside. And you eat that flat shell, which is crisp and delicious. Snow peas are often found in stir-fry, but I love to saute and toss with grains, or eat them fresh as a snack.

Sugar Snap Peas find themselves in the middle of sweet and snow peas. While they could be shelled, the outer shell is crisp and ever so sweet. These make the perfect raw snack, but also are lovely when cooked. I prefer to roast or grill snap peas, as to not overcook them. These peas also have a string that needs to be removed. Start at the end where the pea was attached to the plant, then snap a small part off and pull.

Pea shoots are also sold at markets. These are the stems/leaves from either snow pea or sugar snap pea plants. While they make a nice addition to salads, they lose their peppiness and flavor rather quickly.

 All Vegetarian Pea Recipes