Wild Ramps (© Derekpunar... | Dreamstime.com)

Written by Linda West Eckhardt, Everybody Eats News

This is a meal that can be ad-libbed by what you find in your early spring Farmer’s market. Here in the New York area, people begin to come out of their cold winter ideas when the first-of-the-season peas and ramps show up in the market.

Ramps are a wild green that are a cross between an onion and garlic in flavor. They’re like big scallions, but with a burst of springtime flavor like no other.

Fresh garden green peas in the spring are good enough to eat raw, but if you’ll sit down, relax and put a basket in your lap and pick the peas you’ll find your day just got better.

We stir fried radishes and baby spinach with those ramps, then mixed in the fresh cooked peas. Now that was good.

Feel free to substitute what you find in your farmer’s market. The idea is to cook what your market sells.
This is springtime on a plate. Yum.

Pacific Cod with Spring Ramps & Mint

Ingredients for 4 Servings

• 4 (6-ounce) Pieces skinless Pacific cod fillet (1 inch thick)
• 1/4 Cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus additional for drizzling
• 1 Cup first of the season spring peas
• 1 Cup water
• 1 Bunch green onions or ramps, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 Bunch baby spinach
• 1 Bunch radishes
• 1/4 Cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

2. Put fish in a 4-sided sheet pan, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

3. Roast until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. Meanwhile, heat a small pot of water to boiling and cook peas until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.

4. While the fish and peas cook, heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook ramps (or green onions), spinach, and radishes, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes.

5. To assemble the dish, serve fish over vegetables and drizzle with oil then garnish with mint.

Linda West Eckhardt

About the Author

Linda West Eckhardt, is an award winning journalist, food writer, and nutritionist. Her more than 20 cookbooks have garnered prizes including the James Beard prize for the best cookbook for a text she wrote with her daughter, Katherine West DeFoyd, entitled Entertaining 101, Doubleday. Their follow-up book, Stylish One Dish Dinners, Doubleday, was also nominated for a James Beard prize. Their next book, The High Protein Cookbook, Clarkson Potter, remains a best seller after 12 years.\

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