I know what you're thinking, they look a little.... yellow. Well, that's because I made this recipe with golden snow peas! If you're making this recipe with the green variety it'll look more green and vibrant. Promise.

I really enjoyed this salad. It is a cold salad and is meant to be served well chilled, so it's super fresh and crunchy *very refreshing when it's hot outside*. I love the flavours in this dressing and how well they all work together. They are salty and complex, with loads of umami . Admittedly, the flavour of the golden snow peas wasn't able to shine through, but I find they are a little less flavourful than the green kind, so perhaps green would be better? I bet sugar snap peas would work well in this salad too. Perhaps a mix for added texture?

This recipe, like other pea recipes calls for trimmed peas. To trim your snow or sugar snap peas, simply cut or snap off the top end and pull down towards the bottom along the inside curve to remove any string. Check out this video if you're unsure. Discard ends and strings.

Feel free to make a half recipe if you don't have a whole pound of peas, that's what I did. Bonus, you can make this recipe up to a day in advance! I'm never that on the ball and couldn't even wait an hour for mine to chill, but it still tasted great.

Snow Pea Salad with Sesame Dressing

1 pound snow peas, trimmed

3 Tbsp vegetable oil *ideally a neutral flavour

2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari

1 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp hot Chinese mustard *sub Dijon*

2 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions *optional*

1 tsp sesame seeds

To blanch fresh peas, bring water to a boil in a large pan, then add peas. Cook just until they start to turn a brighter green, 15 to 30 seconds, then drain immediately. Rinse well under cold running water until cool, then drain again. Allow to dry a little so that the dressing sticks.

Stack several snow peas and slice on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Repeat to slice remaining peas.

In a large bowl, whisk vegetable oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, sugar, and mustard until well combined. Add sliced snow peas and 1 tablespoon green onions; mix to coat. Cover and chill until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

Just before serving, mound salad on a platter and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon green onions and the sesame seeds.