Purple hull pea salad
I’ve been working on the pickle section of my book, and I’ve concluded that just about anything can be brined and preserved. Fruit, vegetables, meat, and eggs—it’s a rare food that doesn’t get a flavor boost from vinegar, spices, aromatics, salt and (sometimes) sugar. So when I was trying to come up with new ways to serve the pounds of purple hull peas I brought back with me from Texas, my decision was simple: I’d pickle my purple hull peas.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating purple hull peas, they’re a field pea that is similar to black-eyed peas, but with a more delicate and sweet flavor. They’re also prettier with their light-purple blush.
My family never grew purple-hull peas because apparently with these good looks comes high maintenance—they’re a lot tougher to shell than other field peas. But if you do persist, you will be rewarded with a creamy, light pea that needs little adornment to taste wonderful.
In Texas, this time of year you will find fresh purple-hull peas sold on the side of the road, at farmers markets and at many grocery stores, too. I’ve never seen them sold fresh, frozen or dried in New York, which is why I’ve taken to stocking up if I happen to make it home during the summer. Though if you live in Texas, you’ll find them year round in the freezer section as well as fresh during the summer
The simplest way to prepare them is to boil them for about half an hour, with some aromatics such as onion and garlic. You can also throw in some bacon and jalapeños if you’re feeling bold. And with just a sprinkle of salt and a wedge of cornbread, you’ll have yourself a fine feast.
To stave off summer’s heat, however, I wanted to make something cold and tangy. So instead of serving a steaming bowl, I instead tossed my cooked peas with some lime juice, jalapeños, peppers, garlic and olive oil, stuck them in a jar and refrigerated them. And yep, I decided that they were indeed pickled!
These go well with chips, in a scooped-out tomato, tossed in a salad or simply eaten on their own. And if you can’t find purple hull peas, you can easily substitute black-eyed peas.
What do you like to make with purple hull peas?
Purple hull pea salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups shelled purple hull peas uncooked (or 2 15-oz cans drained and rinsed of all juice)
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1-2 jalapeño chiles, finely diced (amount based on how hot you want the salad!)
- 1 ripe tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayene
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- If using fresh purple hull peas, place them in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 40 minutes or until tender. Drain.
- Mix the purple hull peas with the garlic, jalapeños, tomato, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, olive oil and lime juice. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
- Chill for 4 hours and then serve. Can serve in a scooped-out tomato, with tortilla chips or as a stand-alone side dish.
I'll be in Houston later this month. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to have some time to snag some of these for myself.
Also, I love your 'ladies who lunch' presentation of the peas in the tomato. =)
Purple hull peas are a staple here in Georgia, too. I put them in my freezer every summer so we have them all year round. They're also sometimes called Pink Eye Purple Hulls around here 🙂
I've been thinking of pickles lately too. I just made some this weekend. Your salad looks fabulous and very different from the spicy sweet pickles recipe I posted. I like your spice combination with lime and olive oil. I'm made a similar salad with black beans and added some avocado. I'd love to try these purple hull peas. I'm intrigued.
PS–I just recently made your buttermilk dressing, again. It's the best!
My Cajun great-grandmother used to make purple hull pea jelly! They always remind me of Louisiana rather than Texas for that reason, I think. I have fond memories of shelling peas with her and helping her can them during my summer visits. This looks delicious! No chance of finding those in England, I'm afraid! But I'm sure I might be able to find some Black-Eye Beans (what they call black-eyed peas).
My first job was picking purple hull peas in Ashley County, Arkansas as a kid. I remember a nice old man teaching me to fluff the bushel to look full before I turned it into the foreman. (Purple hull peas bought a few Kiss records and hair barrettes that summer.) Say "purple hull pea" to me and the creamy, starch, sweet taste of them and that same smell in the field comes to mind. Look, now you made me homesick again.