New Season English Asparagus with Sauce Gribiche
New Season English Asparagus with Sauce Gribiche

New Season English Asparagus with Sauce Gribiche

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Total time:

  • Portion/Yield:

    Serves 2 as starter
  • Difficulty:

    Easy

I love asparagus but never had the patience to grow them myself. It takes a lot of care and attention and you will only be able to harvest them after the second year. Working in restaurants for many years you get used to having asparagus all year round. Some chefs do not care if it is imported from Peru or grown down the road. I do care and it’s very important that we support our local farmers.

There is no better way to celebrate the new season than with a bunch of fresh English asparagus. This recipe is a perfect sharing size. In our home we like to make plates of food that we can share, then it makes the eating occasion even more special, almost celebratory!photo of Asparagus

Ingredients & Method

For the asparagus salad

  • 2 bunches of English Asparagus
  • 1 large English muffin
  • Course sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 30g unsalted butter

For the Sauce Gribiche

  • 1 hard boiled egg, chopped
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • Juice and zest of one lemon
  • 2 cornichons, chopped
  • 1 tsp capers, chopped
  • 1 tsp chopped mixed tarragon and oregano
  • 50ml mayonnaise
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Bring a large saucepan with salted water to the boil/ Cut the asparagus tips to about 7 cm long.

Finely slice the stalks in 2mm thick rounds. Blanch both the tips and stalks in salted boiling water, refresh in icy water.photo of Asparagus

Drain the tips, bundle them and tie with string.

Prepare the sauce gribiche, place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix and season to taste.

Cut the muffin in 8 wedges like a cake. Heat a non-stick frying pan with the butter and toast the muffin wedges in the butter until golden, drain on kitchen paper.

Serve the asparagus, toasted English muffin and sauce gribiche as a starer to two to share.