Yuzu Snap Pea Salad with Vegan Aioli at Satellite
Spring’s Don’t-Miss-Dish
One thing we can always count on is this: With spring comes light. Each day brings more light, warming the earth and the soil, encouraging new life. All over Santa Barbara County, new growth and pretty colors pop up, and a fresh burst of produce appears at the markets. It’s an invigorating time, and Chef Emma West serves it up beautifully at Satellite’s serene and cozy downtown space.
Since 2017, West and wine partner Drew Cuddy have grown this neighborhood-y wine bar and restaurant into a beloved hub for sustainable, vegetarian dining and natural wines. The pair are fully farm-to-plate-and-glass, and weave thoughtfully curated flavors and responsible sourcing throughout the ever-evolving menu and low-intervention wine list. Located on one of the most walkable portions of State Street, Satellite is perfect for warmer-weather dining, people watching and natural-wine swirling.
As West artfully composes her new spring creation, her optimism at this time of year is visible. Like the plants, she’s ready to bloom, and she’s inspired by the outstanding local farmers. “The people who farm here are so incredibly knowledgeable,” she says. “The quality is always high, and they don’t hang on to one thing in particular. They let change come in, and they use what’s given to them. What the earth gives them.”
Experimenting in the kitchen is fundamental for West; it helps her showcase the best of what’s in season in the most flavorful ways. She also loves to mix the fresh spring colors.
“It looks pretty, and it tastes great because it’s what’s alive right now,” she points out. This spring salad highlights the darling of the spring market, sugar snap peas, along with fennel, pickled carrots, vegan aioli and pansies. “When the weather warms up, it’s nice to have a fresh, crunchy, light dish, to help bring you out of hibernation and into the sun.”
As experimenting with flavors is key to creating great dishes, West reminds me that this is easier to do in home cooking. At home, you have more control, and change is easier because you have a smaller audience, and it’s only for one night. You can change it the next day, as you like! Listening to her perspective makes it sound easier.
Longer days also bring new energy. “The energy all around is higher as the sun comes out more; it stays out longer, and people come out,” West says. “It’s a very pretty season in Santa Barbara. We’re lucky to live here.”
Live music is coming to Satellite in spring as nights get warmer. Satellite is in the pedestrian area, and they’re happy with that. “People are walking and biking all through here; it’s great to have safe places for this,” she says.
West and Cuddy will also be holding the Natural Coast Wine Festival (the only one of its kind!) April 26, honoring winemakers of the Central Coast who focus on wines made naturally. To spring in Santa Barbara: We love you, too!
To make this salad, prepare the pickled carrots the day before: Shave carrots on a mandoline and put slices in a jar. Bring to a boil equal parts rice wine vinegar and water, plus salt, sugar and dried oregano. Pour over carrot slices, let them cool and store in fridge for 1 day.
Make vegan aioli in a food processor: Blend 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons yuzu juice, and salt and pepper. Then, emulsify by slowly pouring in about 2 cups grapeseed oil, until thick. Fold in chopped parsley and mint.
De-vein peas and cut on bias. Shave fennel, and toss both with yuzu juice, salt and pepper and olive oil. Place generous portion of aioli on plate, add mixed veggies and pickled carrots, and top with Golden Nugget or Pixie tangerine segments and a few pansies. You can also toss before plating, use orange wheels or garnish with herbs.
