Synonyms:  shellpeas = shellies = shuckies = shellouts

Fresh peas are sweeter and more tender than their dry counterparts.  To shell one, just pull down the string and squeeze the pod at the seams, then scrape out the peas and discard the pods.  As with corn, freshness is crucial since peas begin converting their sugar into starch as soon as they're picked.  The freshest pods are brightly colored and snap crisply when you bend them.   Fresh peas don't need to be soaked and they cook fairly quickly.

Varieties: 

 

fresh black-eyed pea = fresh cowpea  = fresh crowder pea = fresh lobhia = fresh lombia = fresh black-eye bean = fresh black-eye pea = fresh black-eyed suzy = fresh China bean = fresh chawli = fresh poor man's pea = fresh Southern pea  Equivalents:  2 cups fresh peas = 1 cup dried  Notes:    In their fresh form, black-eyed peas are pale green and have a wonderful, nutty flavor.  Unlike dried black-eyed peas, they don't need to be soaked, and they cook much faster.  They arrive in markets during the late summer and early fall.  Substitutes:  black-eyed pea (dried)

garden pea = English pea = green pea = shell pea = fresh pea  Equivalents:  One pound unshelled yields one cup shelled.  Notes:   These appear in the summer months, and they're so sweet that it's well worth the trouble to shell them. Freshness is crucial, so look for brightly colored pods that are crisp enough to snap.  Petits pois are a small and tender variety.    Substitutes:   edamame OR fresh lima beans

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Copyright © 1996-2005  Lori Alden