Asparagus Salad
This is a great summertime salad I got from a friend that I literally could eat the whole salad by myself! I've made this for company and parties and always get asked for the recipe.
This is a great summertime salad I got from a friend that I literally could eat the whole salad by myself! I've made this for company and parties and always get asked for the recipe.
- Carbohydrate 9.54024749973678 g
- Cholesterol 8.34375 mg
- Fat 16.14918375 g
- Fiber 4.36998120395551 g
- Protein 4.32212812498841 g
- Saturated Fat 3.39164075 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (223g)
- Sodium 183.68793749997 mg
- Sugar 5.17026629578128 g
- Trans Fat 0.701581500000004 g
- Calories 188 calories
Step-by-step
- Boil asparagus in large pot of salted water for 2 minutes. Then drain and rinse with cold water. Then place in large bowl.
- Mix all the rest of the ingredients with it. I usually mix olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt and pepper up separately thhen pour over top and toss gently so not to mash up avocado too much.
- May chill for 1 hour in refrigerator or till ready to serve.
Extra virgin olive oil drives the emulsion in this dressing, carrying the acid from the lemon juice and the sharpness of the Dijon mustard across the vegetables. Cheap oils taste flat, so use a mid-tier bottle with fruit notes to anchor the vinaigrette. Asparagus requires careful timing to avoid turning olive-drab and mushy. Drop the trimmed spears into rolling salted water and boil for precisely two minutes before shocking them in ice water. That thermal shock stops residual cooking and preserves the bright green chlorophyll. Cherry tomatoes release excess water if salted too early, so keep the dressing separate until the final assembly. Feta cheese provides a salty, briny punch, but anyone avoiding dairy can substitute capers at a one-to-one volume ratio without losing that distinct salinity. Ripe avocados bruise easily under a metal spoon. Fold the cubed avocado into the bowl gently at the very end using a rubber spatula. Fresh basil oxidizes rapidly when cut with a dull blade, so employ a sharp chef knife to chiffonade the leaves cleanly. Chill the completed dish for no longer than one hour before serving to keep the tomatoes firm and the herbs vibrant. Leftovers do not hold well past twenty-four hours because the salt draws out moisture from the produce, resulting in a watery pool at the bottom of the storage container. Portion the dressing incrementally if planning to keep components separate for meal prep.
