This delicious Lettuce Pea Salad is made with green peas served with radishes, feta cheese and a tangy lemon and oregano vinaigrette.
Here at A Couple Cooks, Alex and I are just beginning to learn about spring produce in the Midwest. We’re excited to see what we’re starting to see at the farmers markets and the new life in our garden! To celebrate spring, we created this pea salad with lettuce for a good al fresco dinner with friends. There’s salty feta and a tangy lemon and oregano vinaigrette that’s out of this world. The fresh lavender flowers and twinkling lights were the perfect complement (thanks Kelley and friends for a wonderful evening). How to make a fresh pea salad!
Pea salad with lettuce: perfect for spring!
This lettuce with peas would be a great option for a spring dinner with family or friends, maybe an Easter brunch. The flavors are crisp and fresh, especially enhanced by the fresh lemon and oregano! We got the veggies and radishes from our farmer’s market: if you can find fresh peas, they’d be amazing here. And we already have fresh oregano in our garden – a perennial favorite! (Here’s how to grow herbs, if you want!) Another option is to make it a light lunch or dinner by adding cooked kidney beans or chickpeas and serving it with crusty bread.
Be sure to visit the local farmers market (Indy Winter Farmer’s Market here in Indy) for more springtime ingredients! What is your favorite ingredient for spring cooking? Do you have a pea salad recipe that you love to make? Let us know in the comments below!
How to make lemon vinaigrette
The lemon dressing in this lettuce and pea salad is tangy and tastes like pure lemon. If you’ve never made homemade salad dressing before, it’s time to get started! This dressing is super easy to make and uses fresh oregano to boost the flavor. Most major grocery stores sell fresh oregano: or you can grow your own in pots at home.
To make the Lemon Vinaigrette, use our Zesty Lemon Vinaigrette recipe as the base. Finally, stir in fresh oregano! Here are the basic steps:
- Grate the lemon and puree into a paste. Grate 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. Then you will mash it into a paste! Chop it as small as possible and use the blade of your knife to mash it up. This spreads the lemon flavor throughout the dressing and adds a sunny yellow color too!
- Mix with other ingredients. Whisk together the lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard.
- Whisk together the olive oil. Gradually stir in ½ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a creamy dressing forms. The gradual addition of olive oil makes the vinaigrette creamy and emulsified.
- Add the oregano. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano. Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Looking for salad recipes?
Besides this pea salad with lettuce, we have many more pea recipes! And here are a few more of our favorite salad recipes:
This pea salad with lettuce recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten free. For vegans, plant-based and dairy-free, omit the cheese.
The description
This delicious Lettuce Pea Salad is made with green peas served with radishes, feta cheese and a tangy lemon and oregano vinaigrette.
For the pea salad
- 1 lettuce
- 1 Bunch of radishes
- 2 cups fresh or frozen peas
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- Lemon zest for garnish
For the lemon oregano vinaigrette
- wash and dry lettuce; cut it into bite-sized pieces. Cut the radishes into thin slices. zest of lemon.
- If the peas are frozen, thaw them in lukewarm water. If the peas are fresh, boil water, add the peas and cook until tender and light green, about 3-4 minutes, then remove and rinse with cold water.
- Finely chop 1 tbsp oregano leaves. Prepare the lemon vinaigrette, then stir in the oregano.
- To serve, place the lettuce leaves in serving bowls or platters. Garnish with radish slices, peas, crumbled feta cheese and lemon zest. Drizzle with vinaigrette and garnish with freshly ground pepper.
- Category: salad
- Method: Raw
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: Pea salad, lemon vinaigrette, radish salad, spring salad recipe, pea recipes
Last updated: December 2019
