33 Spring Asparagus Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Should you soak asparagus in salt water? ›

A soak in salty water is the most effective way to season your asparagus before grilling. Published Sept. 22, 2022. Evenly seasoning asparagus spears is never a sure bet.

These asparagus recipes pair well with nearly every main course, whether you're grilling out or cooking in: steaks and burgers, chicken of all kinds, salmon, scallops and shrimp, mushroom risotto, simple pasta with garlic and olive oil, omelets and frittatas.

Simply preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7, line a tray with foil or baking paper, lay the asparagus spears onto the tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. You can also try adding a couple of fresh cloves of garlic and a little grating of lemon zest. Roast for ten minutes.

The asparagus makes a gorgeous side dish to serve with fish, chicken, pork, or really any protein you like.

Asparagus is great quickly stir-fried or sautéed over high heat. You could sauté spears in butter or olive oil with delicious results, but throwing some chopped herbs or sliced chiles into the pan adds wonderful flavor. Both of these methods produce juicy asparagus that retains its crunch.

Boiling green vegetables in a small amount of water means bathing them in a virtual soup of color destroyers. Add something alkaline, such as baking soda, and the chemical reactions are altered so the chlorophyll turns bright green. Unfortunately, alkalinity also speeds up the breakdown of plant tissues.

Asparagus: Liver enzymes ADH and ALDH have both been found to be elevated with the consumption of asparagus. These enzymes help to metabolize ethanol (alcohol that may have been consumed), and also makes a great hangover remedy, as it protects the liver from contaminates that may lead to scarring or fatty liver.

Asparagus contains potassium, an important nutrient for keeping your heart, bones, kidneys and nerves functioning and healthy, per the NIH. This stalky vegetable also consists of a compound called asparaptine, which may help improve blood flow, and in turn, may lower blood pressure.

It is not necessary to trim asparagus. On some spears, especially fresh, pencil-thin stalks, the woody ends may tenderize once cooked. But on larger stalks, the ends of the asparagus are often woody and dense—Which makes them difficult to chew, no matter how soft the asparagus is after cooking.

What's the healthiest way to eat asparagus? ›

Try adding shredded, raw asparagus to pasta dishes and salads. Alternatively, enjoy the spears lightly steamed or sautéed in a frittata, or as a stand-alone side dish. Asparagus is a nutritious choice, regardless of whether it's cooked or raw. Try eating a combination of the two for maximum health benefits.

The larger the asparagus, the tougher the peel, and the more likely they are to need peeling. I usually peel the stalks if the asparagus is 1/2-inch in diameter or larger. Large asparagus stalks tend to be much thicker at the bottom than at the top, so peeling makes them more uniform and they will cook more evenly.

You will find the best asparagus during spring. Asparagus season usually starts around late February and goes until June, but the peak months are in April and May. There are many different varieties of asparagus but the three most widely found are green, white and purple.

Asparagus has a higher tolerance for salt in the soil that many weeds do, so an old practice used to be to pour the salty water from the ice cream maker over the asparagus bed to kill weeds. However we don't recommend this now, because too much salt in the soil will eventually kill the asparagus, too!

No, it's not necessary to soak asparagus before it's grilled. Give the stalks a quick rinse, dry them off, then oil and season them.

If you're cooking from fresh, then you're over-cooking it by a LOT. If you buy it in a supermarket, snap off the end and then put it in VERY shallow boiling water and cover. Cook for no more than 1 or 2 minutes.