Many of our market customers are now familiar with pea shoots. If not, please stop by our Saturday market and try some. We offer samples every week. Anyway, these little morsels taste just like peas and we are able to grow them year round. So, in the height of winter we had a taste of spring. And, when you have a long, cold winter like this year, a taste of spring is a welcome treat.

Pea shoots are really versatile. My absolute favorite is on a tuna salad sandwich. I know, so simple. True, but also so delicious. But, don’t stop there. Try adding them to salad, topping your grilled salmon, sprinkling over your morning omelette, stuffing into a wrap with hummus and other veggies, tossing on top of your stir fry, or piling on top of a steaming bowl of miso soup.

If you don’t have tortillas for a wrap, just make a jumbo veggie sandwich. Spread hummus or cream cheese on your bread and top with whatever you have. In this case, we spread avocado on one side and the other side is filled with a mix of carrot, pea shoots, cilantro, and red onion tossed with a little red wine vinegar and olive oil. It was so filling and super delightful.

Probably my second favorite way to enjoy pea shoots is the recipe below. When I’m eating this, though, it moves right up to number one. We had a similar dish at The Corn Exchange in Rapid City. Sadly, this restaurant has closed, but this recipe is spot on to what they served.

Corn Cakes with Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sweet corn
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• pinch Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup corn flour
• 2 Tbsp AP flour
• Sour cream
• Smoked Salmon (gravlox or smoked trout is also amazing)
• Pea Shoots, rough chopped
• Radish, thinly sliced
• Red onion, thinly sliced
• Cucumber, diced

Directions:

1. In a food processor, blend 1 cup corn, butter, sugar, and salt.
2. Move to a bowl and stir in remaining corn, corn flour, and AP flour until combined.
3. Swirl olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Scoop a 1/4 cup of mixture into pan and press down slightly to flatten. Cook until brown (3-4 minutes) and then flip to finish other side.
4. Place corn cakes on a plate. Top with a dollop of sour cream and smoked salmon. Then generously sprinkle with pea shoots, radish, red onion, and cucumber. Enjoy!