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Peas do not have the best reputation. The idea of “eating ones peas” can evoke bad childhood trauma of shriveling green peas served as the ubiquitous side dish to the average American suburban meal. Put “mushy” in front of “peas” and the image of the standard baby food accompaniment to English fish and chips spring up. Even the color “pea green” when used to describe say, a couch or clothing, is said with a grimace and a sneer; it is the descriptor of distaste.
What green peas have is a marketing problem.
Add “English” to green peas and the idea of frozen or canned peas never even flickers through the imagination. Rather “English peas” conjures up rolling green countryside and market fresh mounds of green pods dimpled and bulging, a cocoon of plump green orbs. The mouth salivates at the thought of English peas, fresh from their shells, quickly blanched or sautéed and then dressed with little more than a dab of butter, salt and pepper. Fresh off the vine, out of the pod and onto the plate an English pea is one of the sweetest green vegetables the mouth will ever taste, an entirely different animal from the green pea.
Then there are the cousins of your standard green peas, sugar snap peas and snow peas, both of which enjoy a far better reputation for deliciousness than the common green pea. In both varieties the “pea” is barely present. It is the pods of sugar snap peas and flattened snow peas that are home to flecks of immature peas. The pods are then eaten whole, at which point the entire pea package is sweet and tender requiring no cooking at all though is often thrown in lightly sautéed with everything from stir-fry to salad.
It is true that a good English pea is best eaten off the vine. But that can be hard to come by for the average American. Costco and some specialty stores have begun storing large bags of already shelled peas when in season, perfect for quick dinner ideas whether dressing up pasta with peas, pancetta and a touch of cream, or cooking down handfuls of peas with chicken broth for brightly colored soup that can be served hot or cold.
But childhood trauma of over cooked frozen peas can run deep and even these promises of English pea goodness will have skeptics. For those looking to re-enter the world of peas perhaps one baby step at a time, I would recommend something that is part of the pea plant but not pea at all: pea shoots.
Pea shoots are the young sprouts of an immature pea plant as well as the corkscrew tendrils that crop out as an older plant begins to climb. Tender tendrils need little or no cooking. Leafy like many baby greens such as arugula or spinach, pea shoots work well in salads as well as quick sautés. The surprising thing is that although leafy and stem filled, the taste of the pea shoot is almost identical to that of the pea itself. Shoots have all the texture of a great salad green but the sweetness of a freshly harvested pea.
For maximum flavor, I like a short blast of heat from the sauté pan, no more than a few seconds. A bit of garlic oil, some licorice tasting torn basil for contrast, salt and pepper and the shoots make a lovely bed for broiled fish or grilled meats.
Snow peas and sugar snap peas have already shown the magic of a name to repair a brand image problem. The availability of fresh English peas and the harvesting of pea shoots are also helping give a new perspective to the once grimace-inducing “pea.” A few more clever marketing manipulations and some better fresh pea recipes and it will be a matter of time before former pea skeptics are saying, “More peas, please.”
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
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More Peas, Please
Peas do not have the best reputation. The idea of “eating ones peas” can evoke bad childhood trauma of shriveling green peas served as the ubiquitous side dish to the average American suburban meal. Put “mushy” in front of “peas” and the image of the standard baby food accompaniment to English fish and chips spring up. Even the color “pea green” when used to describe say, a couch or clothing, is said with a grimace and a sneer; it is the descriptor of distaste.
What green peas have is a marketing problem.
Add “English” to green peas and the idea of frozen or canned peas never even flickers through the imagination. Rather “English peas” conjures up rolling green countryside and market fresh mounds of green pods dimpled and bulging, a cocoon of plump green orbs. The mouth salivates at the thought of English peas, fresh from their shells, quickly blanched or sautéed and then dressed with little more than a dab of butter, salt and pepper. Fresh off the vine, out of the pod and onto the plate an English pea is one of the sweetest green vegetables the mouth will ever taste, an entirely different animal from the green pea.
Then there are the cousins of your standard green peas, sugar snap peas and snow peas, both of which enjoy a far better reputation for deliciousness than the common green pea. In both varieties the “pea” is barely present. It is the pods of sugar snap peas and flattened snow peas that are home to flecks of immature peas. The pods are then eaten whole, at which point the entire pea package is sweet and tender requiring no cooking at all though is often thrown in lightly sautéed with everything from stir-fry to salad.
It is true that a good English pea is best eaten off the vine. But that can be hard to come by for the average American. Costco and some specialty stores have begun storing large bags of already shelled peas when in season, perfect for quick dinner ideas whether dressing up pasta with peas, pancetta and a touch of cream, or cooking down handfuls of peas with chicken broth for brightly colored soup that can be served hot or cold.
But childhood trauma of over cooked frozen peas can run deep and even these promises of English pea goodness will have skeptics. For those looking to re-enter the world of peas perhaps one baby step at a time, I would recommend something that is part of the pea plant but not pea at all: pea shoots.
Pea shoots are the young sprouts of an immature pea plant as well as the corkscrew tendrils that crop out as an older plant begins to climb. Tender tendrils need little or no cooking. Leafy like many baby greens such as arugula or spinach, pea shoots work well in salads as well as quick sautés. The surprising thing is that although leafy and stem filled, the taste of the pea shoot is almost identical to that of the pea itself. Shoots have all the texture of a great salad green but the sweetness of a freshly harvested pea.
For maximum flavor, I like a short blast of heat from the sauté pan, no more than a few seconds. A bit of garlic oil, some licorice tasting torn basil for contrast, salt and pepper and the shoots make a lovely bed for broiled fish or grilled meats.
Snow peas and sugar snap peas have already shown the magic of a name to repair a brand image problem. The availability of fresh English peas and the harvesting of pea shoots are also helping give a new perspective to the once grimace-inducing “pea.” A few more clever marketing manipulations and some better fresh pea recipes and it will be a matter of time before former pea skeptics are saying, “More peas, please.”
Grouper with Basil Cream over Pea Shoots
Made with cherry tomatoes, grouper, salt and pepper, heavy cream, basil, garlic, olive oil, pea shoots
Made with cherry tomatoes, grouper, salt and pepper, heavy cream, basil, garlic, olive oil, pea shoots
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1 1/2 pound grouper, cut into fillets
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 12 basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 pound pea shoots
- 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes
Preheat the broiler. Season fillets on all sides with salt and pepper. Drizzle fillets with olive oil and coat evenly. Lay out fillets in a lightly oiled pan. Place under broiler for 7-9 minutes depending on thickness of the fillets until cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Reduce to medium low. Let simmer until reduced by half. Cut basil into a fine chiffonade.
When cream is reduced, turn off heat and stir in basil along with salt and pepper to taste.
While fish is cooking, heat 3 T. olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Mince garlic and add to oil. Cook for two minutes until softened but not browned. Add pea shoots with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds until leaves have barely wilted. Turn off heat and toss in tomatoes.
To serve, divide pea shoot and tomato mixtures among individual plates. Top each with a grouper fillet. Spoon one or two spoonfuls of the cream reduction over each piece of fish.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1164-peas/