I have a feeling that many of you already know about this magical, ridiculously simple preparation and I am, as usual, late to the party. We’ve always made our peas in the pod the classic way, steamed or boiled, then shocked with cold water if we’re going to chill them or eat them at room temperature, all to preserve that vibrant emerald color. But the pods themselves? Always to the compost. Until now.

I read an anecdote in The Vegetable Butcher about how the book’s author, Cara Mangini, first encountered this way to cook peas in the pod. Her mother always made them this way and Mangini didn’t realize it wasn’t commonplace until she was much older. She said they taste like “sweet and salty candy” and are a gateway drug for vegetable haters and I was immediately intrigued. What does one do to make them taste like candy? Why, you blister them in a hot pan, then sprinkle them with lemon and salt.

And then you eat them — pod and all.

I was admittedly a little nervous the first time I made these. I’d grown up with the idea that pea pods were a shell, not something to be eaten unless you were talking about their cousin, the snap pea. But these? These are just peas in the pod that we’re cooking briefly in a hot pan, allowing them to char in spots, then seasoning them to the hilt with bright, tangy lemon and flaky salt. They stay tender and sweet inside, a contrast to the smoky, salty, tangy pods outside and yes, the pods become so tender, you don’t even notice them. It truly is like eating little, sweet, salty, savory, tangy pea candies.

I think this technique is probably best with sugar snap peas, or at least smaller pods. The ones I got from the store were on the medium-to-large side and the fibrous string needed to be removed first, which is easy to do (just snap the top stem part off and pull the string down the seam of the pea). If you have thinner ones, you might not even need to do that.

I’ve made them a couple times a week since first trying them. They’re a perfect little side for so many things and I think I’ll make a big batch to go with fish for dinner tonight. We’ll see! Anyway, if you too haven’t heard of this magic trick, I hope you’ll give it a try. It’s summer, the peas are here, and this is an excellent way to eat them.

More pea love:

• Spring Garlic and Peas with Saffron Orzo
• Garlicky Smashed Peas on Toast
• Pea and Ricotta Dumplings with Brown Butter and Mint
• Spring Chicken and Dumplings