Spring Pea and Radish Salad Recipe with Lemon Dressing

Spring Pea and Radish Salad with Lemon Olive Oil Dressing

There's a particular kind of afternoon that happens in early spring — the light goes golden just before dinner, the kitchen smells like lemon zest and fresh herbs, and you want something on the table that feels alive. This salad is exactly that. Crisp, bright, just a little peppery from the radishes, with a dressing so good you'll want to eat it with a spoon.

Grandma Angelica used to say the dressing is where the cook reveals herself. She wasn't wrong. A simple vinaigrette made with good olive oil — grassy, faintly fruity, with that clean finish only a cold-pressed Arbequina can give — turns humble spring vegetables into something you'll be thinking about for days.

We make this one at least twice a week from April through June. It comes together in under twenty minutes, travels well to a picnic, and manages to taste like far more effort than it actually is.

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 0 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the salad

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen peas (about 10 oz)
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced (about 8–10 radishes)
4 cups baby arugula or spring mix
½ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 green onions, thinly sliced
⅓ cup shaved Parmesan or Pecorino Romano (use a vegetable peeler)
¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds or pine nuts
Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to finish

For the lemon olive oil dressing

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, finely grated or minced
½ teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

If using fresh peas, give them a quick taste — if they're tender and sweet straight from the pod, they go in raw. If using frozen, run them under cool water just until thawed, then pat them dry.
Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon, garlic, and honey in a small bowl until the mixture looks creamy and unified. It should smell like a spring morning in a California grove — bright, grassy, with a warm olive finish. Season with salt and pepper, taste, and adjust.
Add the arugula to a large, wide bowl and drizzle about a third of the dressing over it. Toss gently so the leaves glisten without becoming weighed down.
Scatter the peas, radishes, green onions, mint, and parsley over the greens in an easy, unfussy way — this salad is meant to look like it landed there naturally.
Drizzle the remaining dressing over everything and toss one more time, lightly.
Top with the shaved Parmesan and toasted seeds, then finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Serve immediately.

Chef's Tips

"The dressing is the soul of a salad, cara mia. Use the best olive oil you have — everything else follows from there." — Grandica Angelica

Don't overdress it. Add the dressing gradually and toss as you go. You can always add more; you can't take it back. The leaves should look lightly kissed, not soaked.
Toast your seeds properly. Toss sunflower seeds or pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, for 3–4 minutes until golden and fragrant. It takes almost no time and makes a real difference in depth of flavor.
Taste everything before it hits the bowl. A good spring pea should be sweet on its own. A radish should snap. If something tastes flat, a tiny pinch of salt right on the ingredient before assembling works wonders.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The dressing keeps beautifully in a small jar in the fridge for up to five days — just shake before using. You can also prep all the vegetables and herbs a few hours ahead and store them separately, covered and chilled. Dress the salad just before serving so nothing wilts. Leftovers don't hold well once dressed, but undressed components keep for a day in the refrigerator without any fuss.

Salud!