How To Cook Sugar Snap Peas: A Snappy Dish For Spring

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Sugar snap peas are a delicious and healthy side dish to enjoy this spring. This easy-to-follow guide will show you how to cook sugar snap peas perfectly every time. Click To Tweet

Benefits of Sugar Snap Peas

Snap peas are delicious, but what about their health benefits? Are snap peas healthy?

Yes, snap peas can be healthy. They also offer many health benefits. You need to know how to cook sugar snap peas!

Here are some facts about sugar snap peas:

• They are high in fiber which means they help to regulate your blood sugar and your digestive system.
• Are low in calories. Snap peas have 60 calories per cup.
• They are fat-free and contain folate. Folate lowers the levels of amino acids in your body.
• High in vitamin C which boosts our immune system and prevents flu and cold.
• Contain carotenoid. Carotenoid promotes eye health.
• Contain calcium. Calcium is good for bone health.
• Iron can be a good source of iron and help with anemia.

Sugar snap peas are, as you can see from the above, undoubtedly good for your health.

Types and Uses of Peas

These recipes are great using sugar snap peas because they have edible pods and are full of flavor. We used Mann’s sugar snap peas that were purchased in stores. If you have them growing in your garden, they would work well, too!

• Snow peas – While their pods can be eaten, snow peas don’t work as well in these recipes because they are so thin.

• English peas- pea pods are not edible, so they should be avoided.

How to Cook Sugar Snap Peas

Preparation

Snap peas that have been de-stringed are easier to prepare.

How to cut sugar snap peas:

• Start with a snap pea in one hand, and a paring blade in the other.
• Make sure that the inside curve of your pod faces you.
• You can remove the top of the snap pea to reveal a string that runs along the pod.
• Take that string out.

That’s it. You don’t have to remove the second string, but you can if you wish.

Sugar Snap Peas Recipe: Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh sugar snap peas.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt.
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
• Sea salt or fleur de sel, for serving.

Directions

1. Each sugar snap pod’s stem end and string should be removed and thrown away.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Salt and ground pepper to taste. Add the sugar snap peas and saute for 3 to 5 mins, turning once or twice, until they are tender and crisp.
3. Serve the sugar snap peas in an ice-cold bowl. Sprinkle with salt.

Reheating Tips

Refrozen snap peas can be surprisingly good when reheated, provided you don’t overcook. Heat the skillet and heat the peas. You can either microwave them briefly or heat them in the microwave for quick heating.

Storage Tips

If you have leftovers, which is very unlikely, keep the snap peas covered in the refrigerator for up until four days.

Sugar Snap Pea Recipe: Soy Glazed Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sugar snap peas, strings removed.
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce.
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice out of lemon Juice? Try one of these 8 substitutes for lemon juice.
• Freshly ground black pepper to enjoy.

Directions

1. Heat butter in a large skillet on medium heat until it melts. Stir-fry the snow peas for 1 minute.
2. Stir in the soy sauce, lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Continue stirring until the liquid reduces to the consistency of a thin glaze.
3. Cook the snow peas, stirring occasionally, until tender but still crisp. Season the peas with pepper, and serve.

The lemon juice can add a great burst in flavor to the peas, but it can also turn them khaki green, so be sure to get them out quickly. The flavor will not change, but the color will become less vibrant. Click To Tweet

Different Ways To Serve Peas

• In a stir-fry, how about a sweet chili shrimp stir-fry?
• In a curry, snap peas are delicious in Thai curry. They stay crisp if they are only cooked briefly.
• In a salad, you can either add them raw or quickly blanche them. They would go well with barley and a honey lemon vinaigrette…sprinkle with feta for the win!
• In a breakfast scramble– sautee, add some bacon, onions, and asparagus; finish with poached eggs.

Peas in a Snap

Now that you know how to cook sugar snap peas, you have a delicious and healthy side dish to enjoy this spring! It is an incredibly simple, incredibly fast side dish that makes the most of great ingredients.