The Joy of Spring: English Pea Soup at Its Peak
Each spring, when the markets begin to hum with the season’s first offerings, English peas arrive like a promise. Their delicate pods conceal vibrant green pearls that are fleeting, tender, and impossibly sweet. And just like that, English pea soup makes its annual return to our kitchen table.
This soup is a quiet celebration of spring’s renewal and a lesson in restraint. It only requires the lightest touch in seasoning, allowing the natural sweetness of the peas to take center stage. The result is a soup so bright, so purely “pea,” that it hardly needs embellishment, but we make up for that with elegant garnish.
Capturing the Green of Spring
The luminous, jade-green hue of this soup is as much a part of the experience as its flavor. That vivid color comes not only from the peas, but from a small handful of fresh parsley, blended into the soup to intensify its grassy brilliance. The trick to preserving this vibrant tone? Temperature control. It’s immediately chilled after blending- before any cooking or seasoning. This preserves both the color and the brightness of flavor. When it’s time to serve, the soup is gently warmed and seasoned to order. The result is a bowl that looks as fresh as it tastes.
A Bowl of Simplicity and Elegance
Despite its refined appearance, English pea soup is amazingly simple to make. Only peas—blanched just until tender, parsley and vegetable stock with seasonings. The texture is silk-smooth, thanks to a thorough purée.
Served warm or chilled, this soup needs little to be perfect. A few crackers, perhaps with sea salt or a hint of rosemary, and a crisp glass of white wine—a Sauvignon Blanc or a Grüner Veltliner—make an ideal companion. It’s a lunch that feels elegant yet effortless, refreshing and indulgent all at once.
Transforming Pea Soup into a Fine Dining Experience
It’s in the garnishing where English pea soup truly ascends from a comforting springtime staple to a refined, restaurant-worthy course. Mix and match these to bring contrast and complexity.
- Preserved Lemon – A whisper of brightness with a slightly salty edge, preserved lemon adds depth and a gentle acidity that sharpens and enlivens the natural sweetness of the peas.
- Orange Powder – A subtle nod to citrus, this vibrant dust adds both visual drama and a delicate, perfumed finish that lingers on the palate. Its pop of color also plays beautifully against the soup’s verdant green.
- Black Pepper Tuiles – These paper-thin crisps provide a crisp, peppery crunch, offering a satisfying textural contrast. Their spicy complexity introduces warmth that balances the soup’s cool, grassy profile.
- Confit Potatoes – Luxurious and deeply savory, these tender, golden orbs bring a richness that grounds the dish. The duck fat imparts an earthy depth that makes the soup feel indulgent—perfect for a dinner course.
- Creme Fraîche – A silky dollop of tangy cream lends both elegance and a subtle cooling effect. It rounds out the flavors while adding a touch of opulence to each spoonful.
- Pink Peppercorns – With their delicate floral aroma and gentle heat, pink peppercorns are both beautiful and beguiling. They lend an unexpected exotic note that elevates the dish from familiar to unforgettable.
Each garnish not only contributes its own flair but also serves to highlight and contrast the soup’s smooth, verdant base. Together, they turn a simple bowl of English pea soup into a symphony of flavors and textures—worthy of any fine dining table.
Let’s Make The Soup!
Combine the ingredients in a blender.
Blend on high speed until it’s a smooth puree, then chill until ready to finish and serve.
Season and gently warm the soup.
Transfer to a heat proof carafe, prepare a bowl with garnish and pour tableside.
English Pea Soup
Fresh, grassy, velvety, spring pea flavor!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
English Pea Soup
- 4–1/2 cups fresh English peas – divided, shelled, blanched and chilled -OR- frozen peas on a 1:1 basis, thawed, drained of excess water, do not blanch
- 1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley – chopped
- 4 cups vegetable stock – chilled
- 1–1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
- 1 pat unsalted butter
- Confit potato – sliced into coins or halves – recipe HERE
- Fresh pea shoots – optional garnish
- 1 tsp orange powder – garnish – recipe below
- 1 TBL preserved lemon – finely chopped – recipe below
- Black pepper tuiles – garnish – recipe below
- Creme fraiche or sour cream – optional
- Pink peppercorns – optional
Black Pepper Tuiles
- 4 TBL butter
- 2 TBL heavy cream
- 5 TBL + 1 tsp caster (very fine) sugar
- 2 TBL agave or corn syrup
- 5 TBL + 1 tsp instant polenta
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
English Pea Soup
- Combine 4 cups of peas, vegetable stock and parsley in a blender on high speed until the ingredients become a smooth puree. Transfer this to an airtight container and refrigerate up to three days until ready to use
- When ready, pour into a sauce pot, stir in the reserved half cup of whole peas, salt and pepper and warm on medium low until thoroughly heated, but do not allow the soup to boil!
- Finish by melting in a pat of butter
- Transfer the soup to a warm, heat-proof pitcher or serving vessel
- Arrange the garnish in individual bowls using any combination you like
- Serve the garnished bowls and pour the warmed soup around them at the table. Every guest loves table-side service and it prevents sloshing and staining the sides of the bowls
Orange Powder
- Use a Y peeler to peel the rind off an orange with as little white pith as possible
- Place the pieces in an uncovered dish and set in the direct sun for two to three days until they have completely dehydrated
- Grind into a fine powder using a coffee bean grinder or small food processor
- Sift and reserve the powder in an air-tight container until ready to use
Black Pepper Tuiles
- Preheat oven to 340
- Put all the ingredients except the polenta and pepper into a pan and stir over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved
- Bring it to a boil briefly, then remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the polenta to prevent lumps
- Pour into a wide dish and allow it to cool and get firm – refrigerate a few minutes if necessary
- Take half the mix and roll it out between two sheets of baking parchment paper until it is very thin
- Carefully peel off the top parchment paper and transfer onto a baking sheet
- Grind black pepper over the tuile
- Bake until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes
- Remove from the oven and let cool for just a minute
- Use a knife to cut it into triangles or break it into random pieces
- Repeat the process with the remaining half or cover and refrigerate it until ready to use. Allow it to come to room temperature to make it pliable enough to roll
Preserved Lemon
- Cut 3-4 meyer lemons into 1/4″ slices and discard the ends
- Cover the bottom of a half-pint mason jar with sea salt, then layer in the lemon slices adding
- salt between each layer
- Stuff the jar as tightly as possible with lemon, packing it in
- Add more salt on top, use the remaining lemon for juice to cover the packed lemons
- Cover, tightly seal the jar and let stand at room temperature for a week
- Open and inspect to ensure the lemon remains covered by juice and re-seal to set for another week
- Open and test to see if it has softened. Use immediately, or set for an additional week.
- Remove the lemon, trim and chop the rind for garnish – refrigerate for up to a week
Notes
Thanks to Chef Colby Garrelts of Kansas City for permission to share his recipe