Mushy Peas

Name: Mushy Peas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 to 4 side-dish servings
Cuisine: british
Ingredients: 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups), thawed; 4 cups freshly boiled water; 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (from roughly 1 lemon or 2 limes); 4 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil; 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper; Handful of fresh tender herbs, such as mint and cilantro, coarsely torn or chopped; Salt

Recipe from Ruby Tandoh

Adapted by Eric Kim

Published Nov. 4, 2025

Total Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Rating: 5(66)
Comments: Read comments

Classically a dull-green side dish for fish and chips, mushy peas are the unsung hero of British “comfort sludge,” as the food writer Ruby Tandoh calls it. The original “mushy peas” come from dried marrowfat peas, which are peas that mature and even dry out on the plant; they’re hard to come by outside of the U.K., which is why this modern iteration calls for supermarket frozen peas. Ms. Tandoh’s proportions here mimic the delicious green gunk that tops many a crusty bread in Australia, California and beyond, as she writes in “Cook As You Are” (Knopf, 2022): “Think avocado toast, but peas.” This verdant melange of protein and carb is an excellent base recipe for all your hopes and dreams: Stir in garlic, Parmesan and crème fraîche (like Nigella Lawson); a knob of butter couldn’t hurt (as Jamie Oliver does); and if you really want to taste the peas as they are, just use a pinch of salt. Whatever you do, don’t skip the fresh mint — its cooling sweetness brings out the peas’ most elemental qualities. —Eric Kim

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 side-dish servings

1(10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups), thawed
4cups freshly boiled water
1 to 2tablespoons lemon or lime juice (from roughly 1 lemon or 2 limes)
4teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
¼ to ½teaspoon crushed red pepper
Handful of fresh tender herbs, such as mint and cilantro, coarsely torn or chopped
Salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
In a bowl or jug, soak the peas in the boiled water until bright green and tender, 5 minutes.
Step 2
Drain the peas, and either mash them really well with a pastry cutter or pulse briefly in a food processor until coarsely textured, not perfectly smooth. Stir in the lemon or lime juice, oil, red pepper and herbs. Season generously with salt to taste.

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Ratings

5 out of 5

66 user ratings

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Comments

Lewis2 months ago

@ingrid, in the article accompanying this recipe Eric Kim references the origin story of mushy peas, which were made from dried marrowfat pea, not fresh or frozen English peas. It seems that this is a modern interpretation of the original dish.

ingrid2 months ago

Oh no! These are not real mushy peas! They are green peas that have been mushed. There is a world of difference.

Debby2 months ago

@Ali read the article. He explains that real mushy peas are made with marrowfat peas which are hard to find in tbe US, so this is his answer.

Cindy J3 weeks ago

I think of it as California’s fresh pea answer to the English mushy peas. I haven’t tasted the other so I can’t compare, but I really like this especially with fish and chips at my local chip house.

Jen1 month ago

Yum! Made mine with olive oil and butter drippings from the steak I seared to accompany. Too lazy for food processor so I mashed imperfectly by hand. So so delicious. I'm finishing the leavings as we speak.

GW1 month ago

Mushy peas are under-rated, especially as a weeknight quick dinner side super-star. I followed the recipe as-is but didn’t bother thawing my peas. Fantastic.

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