Aunt Rocky’s Pea Salad

Put frozen peas and pimiento in a wire sieve for at least 2–3 hours, shaking occasionally to drain well. If you skip this step, you’ll end up with a watery salad! (I usually put the peas out to defrost and drain and dry first thing in the morning, and build the salad in the early afternoon.)

Hard-boil the eggs by whatever method you prefer. Set aside to cool.

Once eggs have cooled, peel and quarter, then slice the pieces into a medium mixing bowl. Add drained peas, pimientos, and onions.

Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, and 1/3 of the shredded cheese, fold all together. Repeat with 2 tablespoons mayo and another 1/3 of the cheese until all of it is mixed in. At this point, you need to decide if more mayo is wanted. Add only 1 teaspoon at a time, if any—just enough to get the last remaining cheese incorporated. It’s better to err on the side of being a little dry, then add more mayo just before serving, if needed.

Salt and pepper the salad to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. This salad (like a good potato salad) is best made a day ahead. This allows the flavors to meld, and lets the salad firm up. But if you plan to serve it the same day, allow at least 2 hours of standing time in the refrigerator for best flavor and consistency.

Stir gently before serving. Add just another teaspoon or so of mayonnaise if it seems too dry.

Serving size is 1/2 cup.

Tip: If you want to use canned peas, use Le Sueur Very Young Small Sweet Peas for best results.

Nutritional information (estimates are per serving based on exact ingredients I used, calculated with a free online recipe analyzer): Calories 201, Total Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Sodium 314 mg, Potassium 63 mg, Total Carbohydrate 6 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Net Carbs 4 g, Sugars 2 g, Protein 9 g. Macros: 72% Fats, 19% Protein, 9% net carbs

© May 4, 2017 Roxana Lopez for Aunt Rocky’s

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