This bright, thick Fresh Pea Soup St. Germain is a simple, satisfying soup with the full-flavor of freshly picked peas. The lovely pea flavor of this soup has just a hint of fresh leek and topped with crisp bacon crumbles.
A bowl of fresh pea soup with bacon crumbles
This is one of those summer soups that is delicious on a hot summer day. It is just as wonderful hot or chilled. Take advantage of the fresh peas and enjoy this seasonal soup.
Why is this called Fresh Pea Soup St. Germain?
Fresh pea soup St. Germain is a traditional French soup that takes its name from Paris, France.
Fresh peas are grown in market gardens of the surrounding suburbs of St. Germain, France. At harvest, the peas are supplied to restaurants and local farmers’ markets.
Fresh Pea Soup St. Germain is also known as Potage St. Germain. The soup begins appearing on restaurant menus in the Paris suburbs in the early summer when the peas are just picked and at their best.
Freshly picked green peas
Fresh Peas:
These peas are from our backyard garden where we have been waiting for them to reach their ‘ready-to-pick’ stage. Summer is slow coming to our area of the country and the peas are one of the first pickings from the garden.
Fresh Pea Soup
Peas have a short growing season in the cool days. They do not last long once the weather begins to heat up. Fresh peas are a chore to shell but the flavor of this soup makes it all worth the effort.
On these warm, busy summer days who wants to spend a lot of time cooking in the kitchen when they can be outside in some sunshine? This Fresh Pea Soup from St. Germain is an easy soup that takes less than thirty-minutes from start to finish.
How to make Fresh Pea Soup from St. Germain:
- To make this classic pea soup we first crisp-cooked a few strips of bacon.
- We reserved a bit of the bacon drippings to cook the leeks and garlic until soft.
- Add the chicken stock, peas, salt and white pepper to the pot and simmer for about ten minutes. Do not over cook as the peas will loose their bright green color.
- As soon as the peas are tender, transfer them and the broth into a blender, or food processor and whizz until smooth, reheat the soup and serve.
See, we told you it was easy! 🙂
On these hot summer days this thick, satisfying soup can be a meal in itself. Served with grilled sourdough bread and a crisp glass of Chardonnay wine.
More great soup recipes:
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Fresh Pea Soup St. Germain
Ingredients
- 3 strips of bacon
- 2 medium leeks sliced (white and light green only)
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth homemade or canned
- 3 cups freshly shelled peas or 10-ounces package frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1 lemon juiced
- Fresh pea shoots or thyme leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Set a large saucepan over medium heat and add the bacon strips and cook until crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and when cool, chop and reserve.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings into a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat and when it is hot add the sliced leeks and cook, stirring frequently until soft, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Add peas, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 7 to 10 minutes for fresh peas, about 5 to 8 minutes if using frozen peas. Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh thyme leaves and the lemon juice.
- With an immersion blender or regular blender, process the soup to a puree, thin with water or additional broth if desired.
- To serve, ladle into soup plates and garnish with the chopped bacon and pea shoots or thyme leaves.
Steve
Saturday 8th of July 2023
The juice of one lemon is way too much lemon juice. I thought as much and halved it and it's still too much. Maybe a tablespoon?
Dahn Boquist
Saturday 8th of July 2023
You can definitely adjust the lemon juice if you are not a fan of the lemony flavor in the soup. There is usually about 2 to 3 tablespoons of juice in a lemon but it can vary depending on the lemon.