🫛 British & Irish · Vegan
Crushed Minted Peas
Bright green peas, briefly blanched, roughly crushed and seasoned with fresh mint and pomace oil.
Behind the plate
Minted peas should taste fresh rather than heavily puréed. Blanching sets the colour and softens the peas; rapid chilling stops the cooking before their sweetness turns dull.
The Robot-Coupe is used only to crush, leaving recognisable pieces. Fresh mint and oil are folded through after chilling so their flavour remains clean.
Why this recipe works
Short blanching preserves sweetness and colour, rapid cooling arrests carry-over cooking, and rough processing gives a satisfying texture. Oil coats the peas and carries the mint without the richness of butter or cream.
The recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg green peas
- 1 litre olive pomace oil
- 1 bag fresh mint (bag weight not supplied)
- Fine salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Add the peas and blanch only until tender and bright green.
- Drain immediately and cool rapidly in a blast chiller or an ice bath. Drain again thoroughly so no water dilutes the finish.
- Place the cold peas in a Robot-Coupe and pulse to a rough crush, retaining visible texture.
- Add the pomace oil gradually until the peas are moist and cohesive rather than oily.
- Finely chop the mint and fold it through. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and refrigerate until needed.
Chef’s notes
- The recipe was supplied twice with identical quantities and method, so only this single canonical page is published.
- Record the weight of the mint bag used in your kitchen for repeatable batches.
- Drain the chilled peas thoroughly before processing; retained water makes the mixture loose and dulls the flavour.
- Pulse briefly and check often. This is a crushed pea garnish, not a completely smooth purée.
At the table
Serve as the canonical pea side for fish and chips, grilled fish, roast lamb or warm sourdough.