When (and if) Spring comes, I can hardly get my mind off of Asparagus. And this Spring, I can hardly get my mind off this Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette. It’s simple and elegant, fresh and bright and just a beautiful and somewhat unexpected salad.
Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
So if you’re like me, and can hardly seem to get your fill of asparagus and are always looking for new and/or different ways to use it at your table, think about this bright, fresh Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette.
About Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette:
This salad is deceptively simple; just a few ingredients bring out the best in the asparagus. There’s what amounts to a classic Dijon Vinaigrette that really plays and zings off the fresh asparagus flavor. It’s just three ingredients, lemon, honey, and Dijon but you can get a little more complicated if you wish. You can always add a little salt if you’d like, for starters. Strangely enough, I didn’t use it in this recipe; the Dijon adds so much zing already.
Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette can easily be changed up and varied in so many ways once you light onto the initial concept. Maybe you’d like a few shavings of Parmesan or a little garlic, shallot or a few red pepper flakes in the vinaigrette. If you’d like to shortcut this salad, try it with any prepared vinaigrette you like.
I’d use this salad just to eat for myself, lol, but it would also be a standout at a shower or at an elegant brunch or a side for a simple dinner.
Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
About Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette:
It’s best to use the larger spears of asparagus rather than the tiny ones for obvious reasons…it’s really difficult to shave (you’ll use a peeler) the tiny stalks. I’ve done it before…as a matter of fact, I did it for this particular salad in the photos. I don’t recommend it!
Other than the “shaving” there’s really nothing to this salad. It’s best to quickly, and I do mean very quickly, blanch the asparagus and shock it in water. You don’t want to cook the asparagus just take away a bit of the inherent bitterness that asparagus can have. And honestly, if you love asparagus just as is, you probably appreciate that touch of bitter. Then you really don’t even have to blanch.
Saving Money on Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette:
Asparagus is a vegetable I like to buy on sale – not only is the price better but when a vegetable is on sale, it is usually in season & likely harvested quickly, shipped fast and replenished often in the store. That usually means your sales priced asparagus is fresher.
Do watch for the size of the bundles you find at the grocers. Sometimes Asparagus is bundled in 12-ounce packages, other times a full pound. Check for great prices at your big box store and if you have an Aldi nearby, the prices for asparagus are usually great. This recipe uses almost all the asparagus; only the very bottom, about 1/2″, which can be dried out needs to be discarded. I love wasting nothing of this pricey veggie. If in decent shape, those ends go in my Green Smoothies.
In season in the winter months here, Lemons will also be at the best price then and bags will be available at a discount. That’s when you want to go wild with lemon recipes, but do watch for sales throughout the year. Weigh several lemons in your hand and pick the heaviest; it will hold the most juice. Minor imperfections in color don’t matter but don’t’ buy lemons that are drying out and browning.
To get the most from your lemon, roll it on the counter with a good bit of pressure and/or microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. You’ll always get more juice if you ream rather than squeeze. If you need a small amount of juice, “fork” the lemon by stabbing it with a fork and squeeze the juice out, then wrap and save for later. The rind holds as much or more flavor than the juice; even if a recipe doesn’t call to grate it, do so and keep it in a tiny Ziploc in the freezer, adding to it as you go. It will dry out but can be used in many recipes when you don’t have a lemon on hand.
Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
A simple, beautiful and fresh salad.
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salads
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 pound asparagus
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk lemon juice, mustard, and honey together.
In a pan large enough for the asparagus to lay flat, add about an inch of water and bring to a good simmer. Drop the asparagus in and remove after about 60 seconds. Do not overcook, asparagus should still be crispy. Drop asparagus immediately into a bowl of cold water and run more cold water into the bowl until asparagus is cool.
Trim off the root ends of asparagus. Trim asparagus tips off spears and add to the bowl.
Cut about 1/2 inch of the very bottom end of the asparagus. With a vegetable peeler, shave asparagus spears into thin ribbons, adding to bowl as you go. Toss salad to combine.
Notes
Just trim the very ends of the asparagus, just to clean them up. The blanching & shaving makes the tougher bottom of the spears fine to eat.
If possible, make this salad a little ahead, 20 to 30 minutes.
Nutrition
- Calories: 30
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 20mg
- Carbohydrates: 7g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
Keywords: Asparagus, Lemon, Salad, side salads, Sides, Slaw, Vegetable Side
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I’ll be sharing Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette at Fiesta Friday # 218 hosted this week by Ginger @ Ginger & Bread and Julianna @ Foodie on Board.
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