Well, guess what turned up at my back kitchen door yesterday? Fresh sugar snap pea salad, that’s what. Our friends, Bob and Bert Villing, who live in an old farmhouse down the road and grow long rows of snow, sugar snap and English peas, brought us a bowl of Bob’s sugar snap pea salad. 
Simple and sensational – fresh sugar snaps in a cream dressing of sour cream, buttermilk and mayo. What pushes the salad over the top is the palmful of herbs pureed into the dressing. How do tarragon, dill, basil and chives sound to you? It sounded yummy to us, and the taste did not disappoint. The tarragon, with its anise taste, along with the dill and basil, did not overwhelm, and the onion chives added another mild onion taste, letting the flavor of the peas shine through.
I couldn’t wait to share it with you!
And there’s a bonus. When I shared this recipe with colleague Matt Swaim on the Sonrise/Sacred Heart radio morning show today, he added his own fave. His version of pea salad that he told me is on the buffet table of just about every summer church supper. I’ve put that here for you. Frozen peas are thawed, then tossed in a light creamy dressing with chunks of cheese added. Sound familiar? That’s because this pea salad is a given on many a restaurant buffet table. 
Let me know if you make one, or both of these trendy recipes.
Sugar snap pea salad with fresh herbs
Ingredients
4 cups sugar snap peas
strings removed & cut into ½” pieces 
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup mayonnaise
Palmful or so herbs of choice – this one uses
tarragon, dill, mint, basil, and onion chives
Salt & pepper to taste 
Instructions
Chop herbs roughly then puree with buttermilk with an immersion blender or blender. Mix in sour cream & mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Toss peas in dressing.
Adapted slightly from Holly Hill Inn.

Ree’s Pea Salad

Ingredients

• 1/3 cupsour cream
• 1 Tbsp.mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. white vinega
• 4 cups frozen green peas, almost totally thawed
• 8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, halved and sliced very thin
• 6 oz. cheddar or American cheese, cut into small cubes
• 3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley, plus more for serving

Instructions

• In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and vinegar together to make the dressing.
• Stir two-thirds of the dressing into the peas until the peas are coated. Gently stir in the bacon, onion, cheese, and parsley until all combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours before serving. (Pop the extra dressing in the fridge, too.)
• Remove from the fridge and stir in the rest of the dressing to your liking. Sprinkle with more parsley before serving.