Charred Okra and Pea Salad Recipe

You all know how much I love a good farm-to-table meal. When I can look at a recipe in a book or magazine and know that I have all the ingredients needed for it ready to be picked from the garden… that makes me smile! This charred okra and pea salad is no exception. It is delicious!

If you've followed along on my garden journey since moving to South Carolina, you know how I've fallen in love with cowpeas (aka field peas). They grow so prolifically, and if you let them dry on the plant, and then shell them out, they store well for a very long time.

Why I Love This Recipe

For this recipe, instead of simmering the peas on the stove for an hour or more, they quickly simmer for about eight minutes and retain a good bite instead of being mushy. And when cooking this up on a 100 degree day, I'm happy with as little cooking as possible.

Plus, as I mentioned, all main ingredients came straight out of the garden. It doesn't get much fresher than that.

Field Pea Salad with Charred Okra and Cherry Tomatoes

This recipe was from the magazine Edible Columbia. I picked it up in a waiting room because it had tomatoes on the front cover. When I flipped to this recipe and saw the charred okra, I knew I had to try it!

Supplies Needed

• Large Stock Pot – The stock pot is for simmering the field peas. Choose something that can hold a good amount of water and the peas without boiling over.
• Cast Iron Skillet – Though a regular skillet will do, there's no char like that from a cast iron pan! Find out more of my must-have homestead kitchen essentials here.
• Cutting Board & Knife – A good sharp knife and cutting board for slicing the okra and cherry tomatoes.
• Smaller Bowls – A couple of smaller bowls to hold your shelled field peas and mix the dressing.
• Whisk – Works best for mixing up the dressing.

Ingredients Needed

• Olive Oil – This is for the dressing. You could substitute it with another favorite salad dressing oil.
• Dijon Mustard – Really, any mustard would do, but Dijon has a nice classic flavor in the dressing.
• Lemon Juice (and zest) – I didn't have any fresh lemons on hand, so I used bottled lemon juice and skipped the zest. If you have fresh lemons, I'd recommend following the recipe for an extra layer of brightness.
• Fresh Herbs – The beauty of this recipe is it would work with pretty much any fresh herbs you have on hand. The original recipe calls for parsley, thyme and mint. I tossed in some cilantro because I had it in the refrigerator and knew it needed to be used up.
• Sea Salt – Nothing brings out food's natural flavors like a good finishing sea salt.
• Ground Black Pepper – Fresh ground black pepper, add this to taste.
• Field Peas – Fresh field peas work best for this. If they've dried out you'll need to boil them longer.
• Coconut Oil – Add this to the cast iron pan just before charring your okra and tomatoes.
• Okra – Halve the okra lengthwise to get a nice char on the inside portion of the okra.
• Cherry Tomatoes – Halved, so you can also get a nice char on the inside.

Step-by-Step Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a rolling boil.
3. Add the remaining two tablespoons of salt and peas. Reduce the heat to medium; cook until peas are just tender, about eight minutes. Drain, and set aside to cool.
4. Add 2 tablespoons coconut oil to a large, heavy-bottom pan (preferably cast iron), and heat on medium until oil just begins to smoke.
5. Cook okra in batches, cut side down until golden brown and slightly charred, about two minutes.
6. Turn okra and cook until tips char lightly, about 1 minute more.
7. Remove okra from pan, set aside; repeat with remaining okra, adding coconut oil as needed.
8. Add tomatoes seed side down, and cook until lightly charred, about two minutes. Turn and cook one minute more. Remove from pan and set aside.
9. Place peas in a medium bowl, toss with lemon-herb vinaigrette. Stir okra and cherry tomatoes into pea mixture, toss gently to combine.
10. Taste, and add a pinch or two of salt, if desired.
11. Garnish with additional fresh herbs and enjoy.

Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. Then snap a photo of your salad and tag me on social media @roots_and_refuge so I can see!

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