Grilled Asparagus Spring Salad

This post is part of our restricted diet series from Beth of Tasty Yummies.

Spring produce honestly makes me giddy. I get school-girl-crush excited to stroll the aisles at the farmers market and my favorite organic grocery store and it feels like Christmas morning every Wednesday when I open the CSA box that our farmer drops off and I get to look inside. One of my absolute favorite in season vegetables is asparagus. My two favorite ways to enjoy it are roasted in the oven and grilled. The smokey flavor and those char marks from the beautiful caramelization of the natural sugars are just perfection.

This simple spring salad is great as a side dish for almost any delicious spring-inspired meal and it is wonderful when entertaining. Feel free to select your favorite greens for the salad — I had some beautiful local wild arugula that was perfect, as well as some fresh organic pea shoots, which I have also been obsessed with lately. Any spring greens will do and you can also add your favorite herbs, sprouts, and so on.

The delicate and bright sunshiny flavor from the Meyer lemon shallot vinaigrette is a wonderful addition to this salad and it has a sublet kick from the shallots. If you don’t have access to Meyer lemons, go with a little regular fresh lemon juice and a little fresh orange juice. You may not need all of the dressing for the salad, so just set the rest aside for another delicious spring salad.

What is your favorite spring vegetable?

grilled asparagus spring salad

Grilled Asparagus Spring Salad with Meyer Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

serves 4

1 pound asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups arugula

1 cup pea shoots

Fresh chives, thinly sliced

grilled asparagus spring salad

Meyer Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

Zest from 1 Meyer lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small shallot, very finely minced

2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat your grill on high. Prepare the asparagus by cutting or breaking off the tough ends of each spear of asparagus. Keep the ends for stock or simply discard.

On a plate or in a pan, toss the asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and pepper over top.

In a grill basket or directly on the grill, grill the asparagus for 5 to 10 minutes until nicely browned and barely tender, turning them every few minutes so they brown evenly.

While the asparagus is cooking, prepare the vinaigrette. In a small bowl whisk together the Meyer lemon juice and zest with the olive oil, shallot, honey and salt and pepper.

On a serving plate, layer the arugula and pea shoots – top with the grilled asparagus and drizzle the Meyer lemon dressing over top all of it. Serve topped with fresh chives.

grilled asparagus spring salad

For more of Beth’s recipes visit her blog Tasty Yummies.

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9 years ago

Yummy! summer is in the air! great idea thanks

Ella Wild xoxox
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9 years ago

Oh wow, looks and sounds sooo amazing! I love anything that incorporates mayer lemons! This is definitely going on my grocery list for the week. I’ve been obsessed with grapefruit this past month, and I’m so excited for fava beans! My mother has them in her garden and I discovered last year how easy they are to put in eeeeeverything — once you get past the lengthy shelling portion that is =)

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Lauren Beth Massarella
9 years ago

Just made this tonight! Zesty and delicious, plus super easy! Keep the good ones coming, thank you!

Lauren xo