I first encountered this delightful pea salad at a friend’s potluck. It was one of the dishes that everyone went back to for seconds.

How to Make Pea Salad

This recipe uses frozen peas, which you don’t even have to defrost, green onions, water chestnuts, and smoked almonds. The peas do thaw a bit, but they’re wonderful cold and crunchy too. I’m not sure of the original source of this pea salad recipe, but since the recipe calls for Smokehouse Almonds, perhaps the almond company? It could easily be made with tamari almonds as well. You just want salty, crunchy, roasted almonds for this cold pea salad.

A Make-Ahead Salad

You can make this salad ahead of time on the day you want to serve it, just hold off adding the nuts so they retain their crispness. The cold peas and the crunchy almonds pair beautifully together. Do you have a favorite pea salad? Please let us know about it in the comments.

Looking for More Great Summer Picnic Salads?

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You can substitute tamari almonds for the smokehouse almonds, in which case, you do not need to rinse them. Wonderful served with sliced tomato and avocado and chicken for lunch. Gently fold the salad into the mayonnaise dressing. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Refrigerate until ready to serve.