Well, how did this Smoky Conch Peas with Sofrito and Andouille recipe come to be? I’ve recently been smitten with conch peas after picking up a bag from Marsh Hen Mill. After doing a little investigating, I liked them even more.
Marsh Hen Mill is a small family business on Edisto Island, South Carolina. In recent years there’s been a renewed interest and respect for Lowcountry and Gullah Geechee cooking, which originated in the barrier islands and Sea Islands of the Southeast.
One of the hallmarks of Lowcountry cooking is heirloom seeds too stubborn to disappear. Seeds like Carolina Gold rice, Sea Island red peas and conch peas carry the memory of the Gullah Geechee foodways that took root along the Sea Islands, where African and African American cooks, farmers and families shaped a cuisine out of survival, skill and deep agricultural knowledge.
Their modern revival has been supported by a wider community of growers, chefs, historians and seed keepers, but their survival begins with the people who kept planting, cooking and passing them down. These crops are inseparable from the Black coastal traditions that developed across the barrier islands and still give Lowcountry cooking so much of its soul.
As a chef, I tend to see food as a form of activism. I want to use ingredients that align with my values, and supporting seed diversity and small farms makes me feel really good about what’s on my plate, and what I post on this website for that matter.
That’s why I hope you’ll join me in preparing these Smoky Conch Peas with Sofrito and Andouille. It’s a simple, comforting dish, but it’s also a chance to cook with a little more curiosity about where our ingredients come from, who kept them alive, and why they’re worth carrying forward.
Feel Good Vibes
- Plant based fiber: Conch peas bring fiber and slow digesting carbohydrates that make this dish feel hearty and satisfying.
- Protein rich comfort food: Field peas and andouille add protein, making this cozy dish substantial enough to serve as a main or a hearty side.
- Antioxidant heavy sofrito: Tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic add vitamin C, lycopene, and other protective plant compounds.
Ingredient Substitutions
- No sofrito: sub a sautéed onion and bell pepper plus a cup of marinara sauce and a little garlic
- No avocado oil: sub grapeseed oil or butter
- No andouille sausages: sub fresh chorizo (will crumble) or kielbasa (very salty, use less)
- No conch peas: substitute (cooking time will vary for all of these)
- fresh or frozen: pink eyed peas, lady peas, small lima beans, butter beans
- dried: black eyed peas or lentils
- No chicken stock: vegetable stock
Recipe Tips & FAQs
- Conch peas are an heirloom variety of Southern field pea, part of the cowpea family that traveled from West Africa through the Caribbean and into the American South through the transatlantic slave trade.
- Cowpeas became a staple crop because they thrived in hot climates, tolerated poor soil, and were good for both people and land.
- The conch pea first appeared in Florida in the late 1800s, likely by way of the West Indies.
- Small, pale and creamy, conch peas are often compared to lady peas and are prized for their gentle flavor and tender texture.
- Where to buy: Marsh Hen Mill on Edisto Island, South Carolina. You can find them online, or at Amazon/Whole Foods.
- Shortcut: This recipe uses a simple tomato, pepper and onion sofrito as the base. You can make it fresh here, or use a batch from my full sofrito recipe if you already have some tucked away.
Smoky Conch Peas Serving Suggestions
- Cozy Blanket Style: serve on top of a scoop of Carolina Gold Rice.
- “Protein Maxx”: Add some Crispy Chicken Thighs.
- Taco Tuesday: serve with some warm corn tortillas for an easy dinner.
- Hearty Breakfast: Add a crispy fried egg.
Storage and Shelf Life
Make Ahead: Sofrito can be prepared ahead of time.
Refrigerate: Leftovers be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheat Instructions
Place the desired amount in a pot and reheat on medium heat, stirring frequently until completely warmed through.
Final Thoughts
The story of what lands on our plates goes so much deeper than the surface. It’s survival, it’s activism, it’s history, it’s political, it’s complicated, and it’s (hopefully) delicious.
Working with a special ingredient like conch peas reminds me that it’s always worth pausing for a moment before we eat to just be thankful. Lots of hands go into every dish, from the farmer to the truck driver to the grocery clerk to the cook and eventually to your plate.
Even if you grew the ingredients in your own garden. Where’d your seeds come from? What have they been through to get there? Where would we be without the generations before us who have stewarded and safeguarded our crop biodiversity?
Have you tried this recipe yet? If so, tell us how they turned out in the comments below. I hear that leaving positive comments on recipe websites is an easy way to bank some good karma. And don’t forget to sign up for the Everyday Alchemy newsletter here.
Smoky Conch Peas with Sofrito and Andouille
Special Equipment
- small Dutch oven optional
Ingredients
Sofrito:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups yellow onion sliced
- 2 cups red pepper sliced
- 2 cups roma tomatoes sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic sliced thinly
Conch Peas:
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 2 andouille sausages halved lengthwise, then quartered crosswise
- 1 ⅓ cups conch peas
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the Sofrito: Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium low heat in a small dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan. Add 2 cups each of sliced yellow onion, red pepper and roma tomatoes. Add a pinch of sea salt and stir. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of thinly sliced garlic. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Return the lid to the pot and continue cooking for half an hour, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the vegetables are very tender. In the meantime, cook the conch peas.
- Cook the Peas: Heat 1 teaspoon of avocado oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat. Add 2 andouille sausages, sliced in half lengthwise and quartered crosswise and cook in a single layer for 4-6 minutes, until the sausages are browned. Remove the sausages from the pan and add 1 ⅓ cups conch peas and 2 ½ cups of chicken stock. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Bring the pot to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook until the conch peas are tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed, about 25 minutes.
- Combine: Once the sofrito and the conch peas are completely tender, combine them with the andouille sausages in the dutch oven. Check for seasoning and serve.
Hi, I’m Julia.
I’m a chef and wellness advocate passionate about helping others live well through nourishing food. I trained at the Culinary Institute of America and now work as a personal chef and community food advocate in Atlanta.
Want to know what inspired me to start Everyday Alchemy? Click the link icon below to read more.