These Minted Mushy Peas are the perfect side dish to your fish & chip supper. Green, fresh and zingy, they are free from the top 14 allergens!
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Mushy peas are something of a British institution. Throughout the country, especially in northern parts, no fish and chip supper would be complete without a tub of this warm, soft delight. Normally they are not minted in flavour but I have put a little spin on them which I hope you will find delicious!
Now, traditionally mushy peas are made with marrowfat peas, which are then soaked overnight in water with some baking soda (AKA bicarbonate of soda), then thoroughly rinsed and boiled for around 30 minutes until soft.
This sounded like a lot of work to me! So I swapped the marrowfat peas for frozen garden peas and the end result was so flavoursome and so quick & easy I think any traditionalists may forgive me!
The peas are mixed with softened onion and garlic, some freshly chopped mint leaves, then crushed with a potato masher and finished off with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to really bring out that minty flavour.
To use up any leftover lemon juice why not make my Lemon & Garlic Chicken Traybake too.
If British classics are a bit of you, take a look at this Sausage Plait & Minced Lamb Hotpot!
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🥘 Ingredients
- Peas - As I said, marrowfat peas are traditionally used but I have used frozen garden peas for this recipe. They are really good value and most people always have a bag lurking in the freezer.
- Garlic & Onion-These act as a flavour enhancer to the peas.
- Lemon Juice - Make sure you use fresh lemon juice and not the stuff in a bottle as the taste is totally different.
- Mint - Again, fresh is best! You will not achieve the same flavour with dried mint, but if it is all you have you can use this instead, just don’t use as much, as dried herbs have a stronger flavour.
- Olive Oil - Used to fry the onion and garlic. I love Filippo Berio olive oil and use this all the time.
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for quantities.
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
✏️ How To Make Minted Mushy Peas
Start by chopping the onion really finely and crushing the garlic with a garlic press. (See tips and tricks below) then fry them gently in a saucepan with some olive oil until they start to soften.
Meanwhile, while the onion and garlic are cooking, boil the peas in a separate saucepan in some water for 3 minutes then drain into a sieve or colander.
Finely chop the mint and slice the lemon in half.
Add the cooked peas to the saucepan with the onion and garlic and add the fresh mint.
Mash with a potato masher until most of the peas are crushed. You want to leave some whole ones for texture.
Add a squeeze of lemon, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir.
(If you are cooking for small children you may wish to leave out the seasoning)
💡 Tips & Tricks
- Chop the onion really finely and use a garlic press to mince the garlic. As we won’t be blending the peas and just using a potato masher, this will mean you won’t get huge chunks of garlic or onion in your mushy peas.
- If you do prefer a smoother texture, you can use a stick blender to blend the peas.
✔️ Substitutions
Olive Oil - If you don’t need the recipe to be dairy free you can fry the onions and garlic in a tablespoon of butter.
⚡ Variations
- Spice it up! - Add a teaspoon of chilli flakes or half of a chopped red chilli through the mash mixture and stir in to give your mushy peas some heat!
- Puree - If you want to make this into a puree to serve alongside some scallops or even for a baby puree, add a tablespoon or two of the cooking water from the peas and add to the saucepan before blending with a stick blender until you have reached a smooth consistency, adding more water if needed.
- Fritters - Make them into pea fritters, swapping the sweetcorn in this fritter recipe for the same amount in weight of the mushy pea mixture.
🔪 Equipment
I love these stainless steel saucepans which will also work on induction hobs too.
🥡 How To Store Leftovers
Leftovers can be cooled and kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To re-heat, either pop in the microwave for a couple of minutes, until piping hot, stirring halfway or heat gently in a saucepan for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly until warmed through.
You can also freeze the mushy peas in a suitable container for up to 3 months.
Defrost in the fridge overnight and re-heat as above.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
These peas are delicious served with some fish and chips. If you are making it into a puree, it’s really tasty with some pan seared scallops.
You can also serve this as a puree for baby weaning from 6 months of age.
They are delicious as a side dish alongside this chicken, bacon and potato topped pie.
💬 Recipe FAQ
Marrowfat peas are green mature peas that are left to dry out in the field instead of being harvested when they are young. They are larger than the garden pea and not as green.
This recipe consists of garden peas, which are a great source of vitamin C, E & zinc and other anti-oxidants that strengthen your immune system. Also the fresh mint is brilliant for digestion so these minted mushy peas are a healthy side dish.
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📖 Recipe
Minted Mushy Peas
Equipment
- Stick Blender optional
Ingredients
- 400 g garden peas frozen
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- ½ small onion finely chopped
- 5 g fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the onion really finely and crush the garlic with a garlic press. (See tips and tricks below) then fry them gently in a saucepan with some olive oil on a low to medium heat for 4-5 minutes until soft.
- While the onion and garlic are cooking, boil the peas in a separate saucepan in some water for 3 minutes, then drain into a sieve or colander.
- Finely chop the mint and slice the lemon in half.
- Add the cooked peas to the saucepan with the onion and garlic and add the fresh mint.
- Mash with a potato masher until most of the peas are crushed. You want to leave some whole ones for texture.
- Add a squeeze of lemon, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir.
Notes
Nutrition
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Let me know what you think of this recipe!