Author Notes
This is not so much a recipe as an idea -- a gloriously messy option for a mid-summer evening. To eat the peas, pull one from the bowl, slide the whole thing in your mouth, then drag your teeth along the tender pod until you get all of the tiny peas out. When you bite down, it's like a "pop! pop! pop!" of little flavor bombs.
I like to serve them as a prelude to a whole grilled fish, lamb ribs, pork ribs, chicken wings, shell-on shrimp anything else messy and hands-on. It's a meal for intimates (or for strangers with whom you wish to become more intimate) and is best served with lots of wine and cold beer and great big napkins. Consider this the perfect opportunity to eat messily and with abandon.
To note: I have done the same with fava beans. They are equally delicious, though making the dish takes much more work. —Aliwaks
Ingredients
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3 to 4 pints
English peas in the pod, fresh from the farm
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1/3 cup
fruity olive oil
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Flaky sea salt, to taste
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1/2 cup
torn fresh mint or tarragon
Directions
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Wash and dry the peas.
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Fire up the grill until it's searing hot.
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Dump the peas into large bowl and give them a thorough rub down with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
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Place the pea pods directly on the grill.
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Grill the pods, pushing them around a bit and flipping them over, until they are slightly blistered on both sides
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Remove the peas from grill, then shower them with fresh herbs and additional salt and pepper as needed.
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Serve the peas with plenty of napkins and be sure to put out a bowl for discarded pods. These are very nice accompanied with a shaved pecorino, crusty bread, radishes and butter, and a glass of sparkling rosé.
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