Grilled Peas and Burrata

By The Cooking World, Editorial Staff

May 29, 2026

Grilled Peas and Burrata: Smoky, Fresh, and Surprisingly Simple

Some vegetable dishes play it safe. This one doesn’t.

The Grilled Peas and Burrata from Cooking with Vegetables by Jesse Jenkins is exactly the kind of recipe that changes how you think about produce. Frozen peas, grilled directly over an open flame in a fine-mesh sieve, develop a smoky char that transforms them entirely — bold, earthy, and alive in a way that no pan could replicate.

Pickled tomatoes bring sharp acidity. Creamy burrata melts into every bite. Fresh herbs lift the whole dish. And a handful of toasted panko breadcrumbs, fragrant with garlic, lemon peel, and rosemary, adds the crunch that ties it all together.

Part of our We Cook Books series, this is Jesse at his best: vegetables with real intensity, and food that’s impossible to forget.

PREP TIME

10 to 15 minutes

COOK TIME

3 to 4 minutes

serves

3 to 4

Ingredients

6-8 pickled tomatoes (see page 31 for 3-2-1 method and use peppercorns), plus a splash of the pickling liquid
200g frozen garden peas
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ green chilli, diced 6-8 chives, thinly sliced handful of basil leaves, thinly sliced handful of mint leaves
250 g burrata salt

For the Seasoned Breadcrumbs

50 g panko breadcrumbs
extra virgin olive oil
pared peel of ½ lemon
1 garlic clove, smashed (skin on)
1 sprig of rosemary or thyme

For the Pickled Tomato

Cherry Tomatoes
3 parts rice vinegar
2 parts caster sugar
1 part water
black peppercorns

Special Equipment

Instructions

For the Pickled Tomatoes

Put pieces of cherry tomatoes in a bowl, season generously with salt, mix, then leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
Drain the excess water and give them a good rinse with cold water, then put them in clean containers.
Bring the vinegar, sugar, water, and spices to the boil in a saucepan, then cover the tomatoes with the hot liquid. Leave to cool at room temperature, seal, and store in the fridge.

For the Grilled Peas

First, pickle the tomatoes following the method on page 31 and toast the breadcrumbs. You need to do this a little ahead (about 30 minutes).
To toast the breadcrumbs, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat along with the lemon peel, smashed garlic, and rosemary or thyme. Add the breadcrumbs and toast for a few minutes till golden brown, then season with salt.
Grill the peas from frozen in a fine-mesh sieve over an open flame. Try to avoid getting the mesh too hot and keep them moving - they will be ready in 3-4 minutes.
Put the peas into a bowl with a pinch of salt and the olive oil, chilli, chives, basil, and mint. Add the pickled tomatoes and a splash of their pickling liquid just before serving (if you let the peas sit in the vinegar for too long, it will start to dull their vibrant color). Mix well and spoon over some broken burrata, adding 2-3 tablespoons of the toasted breadcrumbs at the very last second, so they stay crunchy.

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Grilled Peas and Burrata