Tomato-Field Pea Salad With Garlic Mayonnaise
About the recipe
This is one of my favorite salads and one of the best ways I know to enjoy the summer goodness of tomatoes and field peas. The quick blanching of the field peas presents them in a different, less traditional way and highlights texture and flavor characteristics that might not otherwise be enjoyed. The salad is fine enough to stand all on its own, but makes a terrific foil for fried soft-shell crab or anything off the grill.
A mixture of different varieties of both field peas and tomatoes makes for the prettiest salad, but feel free to use only one of each if that’s what you can find.
This recipe comes courtesy of Atlanta chef Scott Peacock.
Serves: 6
Hands On Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
Garlic Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon apple cider or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 large egg yolks, preferably organic and free range
1 1/2 cups peanut oil or light olive oil, or a combination of both
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon garlic, shoot removed, chopped and rubbed to a very fine paste with a pinch of kosher salt
Salad
1 1/2 cups shelled field peas
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups ripe summer tomatoes, larger tomatoes cut into 1/2-inch wedges and cherry tomatoes halved
1 small bunch fresh basil
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
To make the mayonnaise: In a medium non-reactive bowl, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, salt and dry mustard and whisk until the salt and mustard are dissolved. Add the egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the oil, drop by drop at first, and then in a slow, steady stream, until all the oil has been incorporated and the mixture has formed a very thick emulsion.
In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the garlic paste and let stand for 2 minutes. Whisk the garlic mixture into the mayonnaise. If mayonnaise is very thick, you may thin to desired consistency by whisking in a small amount of hot water. (The mayonnaise can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
To make the salad: Fill a large bowl with ice and cover with salted water.
Bring a large saucepan of generously-salted water to a rapid boil over high heat. Add the field peas and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the peas and then immediately plunge into the ice bath to stop the cooking and set the color of the peas. When well-chilled, drain thoroughly and refrigerate.
Just before serving, place the sliced tomatoes in a large bowl. Season generously with salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Tear the basil leaves into rough pieces about 1/3 inch wide and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Add the refrigerated field peas and gently toss with the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately with the garlic mayonnaise drizzled on top.