French Pea Soup Recipe with Ham (Potage Saint Germain)

Easy Pea Soup Recipe (Potage Saint-Germain)

This isn't a brand-new invention - rather, a timeless French classic inspired by the King of Chefs, Auguste Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire (1902). His original Potage Saint-Germain uses a purée of fresh peas, cooked simply with bacon, leeks and herbs.

It's the kind of old-fashioned fresh pea soup recipe that proves less is more: few ingredients, maximum flavour, and ready in just 35 minutes. It's rare we have leftovers!

Green Pea Soup Ingredients (Potage Saint Germain)

So what's in a traditional French pea soup? Only the essentials:

• Fresh peas - but when out of season, use frozen. The modern version has gradually replaced the fresh with split peas from the pantry
• Bacon bits or lardons - or pick the ham from a leftover ham bone or ham hock/shank
• leek - include the green part
• carrot - not in the original recipe. I add it to replace the sugar added by Escoffier
• lettuce leaves - optional but add to split pea soup to boost the green colour
• bouquet garni (bay leaf, fresh thyme and parsley).

I also sometimes add an onion - but don't tell anybody, peas. Living on the risky side of life, you say? You'll notice there's no chicken broth; the vegetable broth is made naturally with the ingredients in the pot.

Why is the Soup Called Potage Saint Germain?

When I first heard the name, I was excited, thinking it came from our local town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, just outside Paris. I was wrong - pity, because we even have a local baguette called une Saint Germain that goes perfectly with it!

The soup actually honours 's Count Claude-Louis de Saint-Germain, Louis XVI's war minister, who adored fresh peas so much that chefs named this green pea soup after him. (Some sources e.g. Larousse Gastronomique, says Louis XV's war minister - if anyone knows for sure, do tell me, or I won't sleep tonight.)

Legend has it he grew special petits-pois de Poissy, just down the road - a French word-play waiting to happen: 'Petit Pois, si!'

The Difference Between Split Pea Soup and Green Pea Soup

It's easy to mix them up. Both come from the same plant but behave differently in the pot.

• Fresh or frozen peas make a light, vibrant green pea soup - best in spring and summer. They cook quickly and keep their bright colour.
• Split peas ('pois cassés' in French) are dried, split in half, and turn creamy when cooked. Perfect for a split pea soup recipe on chilly days, especially with smoky ham hock or bacon lardons.

If using split peas, soak them first to help digestion (your tummy will thank you). And to "green-up" the colour, add a few lettuce leaves or more of the leek tops before blending.

Do I Need to Soak Split Peas Before Making Soup?

Ever wondered why your tummy hurts after eating split pea soup? It's not just you - dried split peas naturally contain fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs) that can cause gas and bloating if cooked straight from dry.

So, do you need to soak split peas before making soup? Technically, no, but it's definitely worth doing. Soaking them in plenty of water for 4-8 hours (or overnight) softens the peas, reduces cooking time, and makes them much easier to digest.

As Drs. Badariotti and Lebrun explain in La Meilleure Façon de Manger Végétal (2022), pre-soaking helps break down these FODMAPs - the culprits behind that post-soup discomfort. Always drain and discard the soaking water before cooking, then start fresh.

Your digestion - and everyone nearby - will thank you.

French Pea Soup Recipe with Ham

Ideally use bacon cut into small strips (lardons). Otherwise use ready-prepared bacon bits or lardons. However, if you have leftover ham shanks or ham hock from a Christmas holiday dinner, this is excellent. Just pick from the meaty ham bone and add to the soup at the end of cooking.

• In a large pot (or crockpot), fry the bacon bits without any oil or butter (there's enough fat in them) for about 5 minutes until tender.
• Add the chopped leeks and carrots. Toss them around in the bacon, cover an leave to soften for another 5 minutes.
• Add the fresh (or frozen peas) and bouquet garni, stirring briefly to coat.

• Pour in the water and salt. Bring to a short boil.
• Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes for fresh peas (or 20 minutes for frozen).
• Remove the bouquet garni and reserve a ladleful of the peas for a garnish.
• Blitz with a hand blender or mixer to blend the soup until smooth then add the ladle of peas.

Vegetarian Green Pea Soup

For a vegetarian green pea soup, simply skip the ham and add a pinch of smoked paprika for that same subtle, savoury depth.

How to Serve Potage Saint Germain

According to chef Escoffier, le potage Saint Germain is served:

"...with a garniture of two spoons of fine, green peas and tufts of chervil leaves." - Auguste Escoffier (Le Guide Culinaire)

So, just before mixing the soup, take out a ladle and set aside. Blend the soup with an immersion blender (or mixer) then add the peas at the end as the garnish.

As chervil isn't always easy to find, use a little fresh parsley or dill. Don't forget the knob of butter to be added at the end of cooking. Serve with a good crusty baguette, some crispy croûtons - or some fluffy cheese scones for my Scottish touch. For something a little bit different, it's delicious with chorizo chips - made in 10 minutes!