My Super Simple Mushy Peas Recipe

Ok, so I’m pretty sure this Mushy Peas recipe is the easiest recipe I’ll ever share with you. Five simple ingredients. Under 10 minutes to make and you’ve got an easy side dish for every roast you’ll ever cook. 

So what are “mushy peas”?

A true British side dish that’s most commonly found served in fish and chip shops all over the UK. Traditional mushy peas are served on the side of a piece of battered fish and a portion of chips. While different regions of the country put their own spin on it, I like to keep it super simple. 

To this day the most memorable fish, chips, and mushy peas I’ve eaten were in the Cotswolds. Pretty sure I ate O’s mushy peas (he thought they were “weird”) as well as mine, they were that good! 

While many mushy pea recipes use dried marrowfat peas, fresh peas, or even frozen garden peas, I’m a traditionalist, so marrowfat peas are the only option! In Australia, canned marrowfat peas are more readily available in supermarkets than dried, so that is what I use for this recipe.

Only have dried marrowfat peas on hand? While canned peas do all the hard work for you as they have already been soaked and seasoned before canning, you can always make mushy peas from dried marrowfats by soaking the dried peas overnight in a large saucepan full of salted water and roughly a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). The next morning, take the soaked peas, drain them and rinse well. Pop back into the saucepan with enough water to cover and simmer for 25 – 30 minutes until soft. I then drain off a bit of the liquid, mash it with a knob of butter til you get the perfect texture and season.

Here’s a few simple ingredients you need to get started

• Canned marrowfat peas. I’d never had marrowfat peas until I met the Irishman. But oh how I love them now! I swear, our local grocery store delivery man must think I’m absolutely crackers because every once in a while he’ll deliver a just box of marrowfat peas and a box of Taytos potato chips.  Two pantry essentials this family doesn’t like to live without! If you’ve never come across marrowfat peas, you’ll notice that they are quite large in comparison to normal peas you would find in the frozen vegetable section. That is because marrowfat peas are mature peas left to dry in the paddock where frozen peas are generally picked quite young. 
  
  
• Butter
  
  
• Sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper (optional)
  
  
• Mint Jelly (optional). Alternatively, you could add a little fresh mint or mint sauce.

Equipment

You’ll need a strainer to drain your peas, a fork or potato masher to mash them, and a small saucepan to cook them in. That’s it! See I told you this was going to be a simple one.

If you are making quite a large batch of mushy peas and want to cut down on the mashing by hand, you could always give them a quick blitz in the food processor. As I like mine with a little texture – chunky if you will, a simple fork is my weapon of choice.

How to …

1. Drain the canned marrowfat peas, reserving the liquid.
   
   
2. In a small saucepan pop in the peas, and give them a bit of a mash with a fork. 
   
   
3. Gently heat on top of the stove on low-medium heat with the butter and a little of the reserved liquid. Mix to your desired consistency and simmer until warmed through, stirring occasionally so the peas don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
   
   
4. Add the mint jelly and season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper if required.
   

​Here is what I serve my mushy peas with

Homemade fish and chips- it’s a classic for good reason.

Your roast dinner. If Sunday roasts are your thing, then homemade mushy peas are the perfect side dish. In our house, we are Monday night roast people, so you’ll find us eating our side of mushy peas most Mondays alongside a Leg of lamb or this roast chicken with herbs de Provence.

A savory meat pie like this beef bourguignon pie alongside some hot chips.

Have leftovers and want to rehash them for another night’s dinner?

Leave them to cool and store them in an airtight container til the next day. To reheat, I pop mine in the microwave and nuke them in 30-second increments. Alternatively, you could also warm them on top of the stove in a small saucepan on low heat until warmed through. You may need to add a little water so they don’t dry out.

Love a roast dinner? Here are a few more recipes you might like…

• Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder
• Dutch Oven Corned Silverside
• Duck fat roast potatoes with truffle salt
• Greek-Style Roast Chicken

Happy roast night!

x

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