This is a preppy little salad, all pink and green and fancy with its lemon and mint. It’s quite perfect for a light lunch but works just as well as a side salad with dinner. The sweetness of the sugar snap peas with the salty prosciutto, cut with the tart lemon and bright mint, is a wonderful tribute to the season. But you see, that is only four ingredients and I had a wild card to play with. I tried adding a bit of spice with chili powder, and it was a bit overwhelming. Dill was quite nice – I love mint and dill together – but the cumin gave it that certain je ne sais quoi that it was missing. It’s something a bit unexpected for this country club salad, like a leopard print slip under that pastel madras dress.
Sugar Snap Pea and Prosciutto Salad Serves 4 to 6
Adapted by Dee Ryan from a recipe originally published in Food and Wine by Joanne Weir Salt to taste
1 lb. sugar snap peas
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 to 4 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
1 tsp. cumin
Extra virgin olive oil
3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips crosswise
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add sugar snap peas and cook for about 1 minute. Drain and shock them in a bowl of ice water.
• Pat the peas dry and cut them in half crosswise.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, mint, cumin and olive oil.
• Add the peas and prosciutto, toss to coat and serve.
This article appears in June 2011.