Spring Pea Salad with Lemony Mint Vinaigrette Recipe
A fresh and vibrant Spring Pea Salad featuring crisp gem lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, snap peas, English peas, avocado, and carrot, all topped with creamy feta, crunchy pistachios, and fragrant fresh mint and basil. Tossed in a tangy and refreshing lemony mint vinaigrette, this salad is perfect for a light lunch or as a springtime side dish.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 8 oz gem lettuce
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 4 oz snap peas, ends snapped off
- 4 oz (about 2/3 cup) English peas, blanched or steamed
- 1 avocado, cubed and spritzed with lemon juice
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 4 oz feta cheese, cubed
- 2 oz pistachios, roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint, chiffonade
- ½ cup fresh basil, chiffonade
Lemony Mint Vinaigrette
- Fresh mint dressing (blend of fresh mint, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper – see instructions)
- Black pepper, to taste
- Lemon slices, for garnish and spritzing
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients: Blitz together the mint dressing by blending fresh mint leaves with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy. Chop and prepare all the vegetables: thinly slice radishes and Persian cucumbers; snap the ends off the snap peas; blanch or steam the English peas; cube the avocado and spritz with lemon juice to prevent browning; thinly slice the carrot using a vegetable peeler to create long strips; cube the feta cheese; and roughly chop the pistachios. Prepare the herbs by stacking basil leaves and rolling them into a cigar shape before slicing thinly to create chiffonade ribbons. Repeat the chiffonade technique with the mint leaves for a delicate presentation.
- Assemble the salad: Arrange the gem lettuce mostly whole, with some chopped pieces, on a large platter or serving bowl. Evenly distribute the radishes, cucumbers, snap peas, English peas, avocado, carrot strips, cubed feta, chopped pistachios, chiffonade mint, and basil over the lettuce. Drizzle about two-thirds of the lemony mint vinaigrette over the assembled ingredients and gently toss to combine without bruising the delicate leaves.
- Finish and serve: Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper over the salad, add a few lemon slices on the side for extra garnish and a fresh citrus spritz. Drizzle any remaining dressing on top as desired. Serve immediately to enjoy the fresh, crisp textures and bright flavors.
Notes
- Blanching or steaming the English peas quickly brightens their color and maintains their crispness.
- Spritzing avocado with lemon juice prevents it from browning and keeps the salad looking fresh.
- Chiffonading the mint and basil adds an attractive, delicate visual element and releases the herbs’ flavors.
- The salad is best served immediately to preserve the texture of the fresh ingredients.
- You can adjust the vinaigrette ingredients to taste, adding extra lemon juice or mint depending on your preference.
Keywords: spring pea salad, lemony mint vinaigrette, fresh herbs, gem lettuce salad, vegetarian salad, spring vegetables, healthy salad
