[Photographs: J. Kenji López-Alt, Daniel Gritzer]
Thanks to globalized agriculture, it's easy to find okay, not-the-best-but-it'll-do asparagus year-round. But once spring hits, the vegetable is in season here in the US, and it really shows—sweet, grassy local asparagus puts the stuff shipped across the world to shame. Asparagus lends itself to all sorts of treatments, including braising, broiling, sautéing, and grilling; the collection below, with recipes as diverse as pickled asparagus with tarragon and asparagus-topped grilled pizza, showcases all of them. First, visit our guide to buying, prepping, storing, and cooking asparagus, then check out the 20 recipes below to put it to good use.
Sides
Broiled Asparagus With Cotija Cheese
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
My absolute favorite way to cook asparagus is to broil it under very high heat. Toss the shoots with olive oil, salt, and pepper, place them in a preheated pan, and they'll caramelize beautifully while staying good and crisp. It's close to perfect straight from the oven, but finishing with a little lime juice and Cotija cheese makes it even better.
Get the recipe for Broiled Asparagus With Cotija Cheese »
Simple Grilled Asparagus
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Similarly, grilling does a great job of quickly caramelizing asparagus while leaving it a bit crunchy, and gives your asparagus a pleasant smokiness besides. When paired with the right dipping sauce, grilled asparagus can go from an everyday cookout side to a star—we recommend a homemade aioli flavored with harissa, tarragon and lemon, or sumac and mint.
Get the recipe for Simple Grilled Asparagus »
Braised Asparagus
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Braising vegetables isn't very fashionable, but rest assured, it doesn't have to result in mush. Kenji's trusted method is to sear his asparagus in oil, then braise it in stock with a little butter added. The asparagus cooks as the liquid reduces, and by the time the stalks are perfectly tender, the stock and butter will have emulsified into a rich sauce.
Get the recipe for Braised Asparagus »
Quick-Pickled Asparagus With Tarragon and Shallot
[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]
For something a little different, try saving some of those spears from your farmers market haul for pickling. Here, we submerge the asparagus in a basic white wine vinegar brine flavored with tarragon sprigs and sliced shallot. The resulting pickles supply a nice crunch and tang when added to sandwiches or cut up and tossed into salads. Note that this recipe isn't meant to produce long-term preserves, but the pickled asparagus will still last you a couple of weeks in the fridge—much longer than fresh.
Get the recipe for Quick-Pickled Asparagus With Tarragon and Shallot »
Breakfast and Brunch
Mushrooms, Bacon, and Asparagus Topped With Eggs
[Photograph: Sydney Oland]
Bacon-wrapped asparagus is a classic dish, but it's due for a redesign: When you try to cook the two ingredients together, you're guaranteed to either overcook the asparagus or undercook the bacon. Our solution: Just cook the two separately and serve them together, along with mushrooms sautéed in the rendered bacon fat. The yolk from a soft fried egg creates a sauce to bind it all together and makes this dish perfect for brunch.
Get the recipe for Mushrooms, Bacon, and Asparagus Topped With Eggs »
Sautéed Asparagus With Chorizo, Fried Eggs, and Smoked-Paprika Allioli
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
This recipe uses the same combination of asparagus and eggs, but replaces the bacon with cured Spanish chorizo. To impart as much as possible of the sausage's rich flavor, we sauté the asparagus in some of the rendered chorizo fat and mix some of the fat with olive oil for frying the eggs. Serve the dish with a smoked-paprika allioli—the Spanish equivalent of aioli—and, what the heck, drizzle a little more chorizo fat on top to really drive the point home.
Get the recipe for Sautéed Asparagus With Chorizo, Fried Eggs, and Smoked-Paprika Allioli »
Asparagus and Sweet Pea Frittata With Minty Spring Salad
[Photograph: Daniel Gritzer]
This simple frittata celebrates spring's best produce with yellow onion, diced asparagus, and green peas. Don't bother using fresh peas unless you have access to very small, very sweet ones—otherwise, stick with frozen. A salad of shaved raw asparagus, mint leaves, and pea tendrils complements the frittata with fresh, herbal flavors.
Get the recipe for the Asparagus and Sweet Pea Frittata With Minty Spring Salad »
Cheesy Grits With Spring Vegetables
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Cooked slowly in milk and thickened generously with cheddar cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano, these creamy grits make an insanely luxurious bowl of comfort to start the day. We offset the richness with all sorts of spring vegetables: fresh asparagus, fava beans, English peas, and snap peas, plus fresh or dried morels if you can find them. We glaze the vegetables with butter and herbs before spooning them on top of the grits and topping them off with a poached egg.
Get the recipe for Cheesy Grits With Spring Vegetables »
Salads
Spring Salad of Asparagus, Ramps, Snap Peas, and Peas With Poached Egg and Lemon Zest Vinaigrette
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Another dish that's bursting with spring's bounty, this salad brings together asparagus, ramps, snap peas, English peas, and pea shoots, just to start, although you can swap in other green vegetables based on what's around. Asparagus makes its way into the salad in two ways: The tips are chopped up raw, and the stalks are puréed into a creamy bed on which to rest the greens.
Fresh Herbs With Corn, Asparagus, and Chickpeas
[Photograph: Yasmin Fahr]
Asparagus season and corn season don't overlap for very long, so be sure to maximize that magical time. For this bright salad, we combine fresh asparagus and corn with canned chickpeas and big handfuls of herbs: parsley, cilantro, dill, and mint. Toss the herbs with olive oil and lemon juice first so that the flavors soak in while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Get the recipe for Fresh Herbs With Corn, Asparagus, and Chickpeas »
Warm Farro Salad With Asparagus, Peas, and Feta
[Photograph: Yasmin Fahr]
Perfect for days when the weather can't decide what season it is, this grain salad walks that fine and shifting line between winter and spring. The warm farro and kale would be perfectly at home on a cold day, but they find springy, bright counterpoints in peas and asparagus (both sautéed and raw). Feta cheese and a spicy-and-tangy lemon-mustard vinaigrette finish it off.
Get the recipe for the Warm Farro Salad With Asparagus, Peas, and Feta »
Sichuan-Style Asparagus and Tofu Salad
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Asparagus isn't a traditional Chinese ingredient, but that shouldn't stop you from pairing it with Chinese flavors. Here, we dress blanched asparagus and tofu matchsticks in the same fiery hot-and-sour sauce we use for our Sichuan-style wontons. However, to avoid overpowering the asparagus's delicate flavor, we omit the toasted sesame oil.
Get the recipe for Sichuan-Style Asparagus and Tofu Salad »
Roast Chicken With Asparagus Panzanella
[Photograph: Daniel Gritzer]
A traditional panzanella (Tuscan tomato-and-bread salad) works because the abundant juices in tomatoes help to soften the bread. What to do before tomatoes are in season? For this unusual asparagus version, we use a couple of tricks to increase the moisture level: blanching the asparagus to add to its juiciness, and blending the asparagus stalks and cucumber into a vinaigrette, while reserving the tips for the salad. The result is a fresh, grassy panzanella that's just as moist as the tomato kind and pairs wonderfully with simple roast chicken.
Get the recipe for Roast Chicken With Asparagus Panzanella »
Raw Asparagus Caesar Salad
[Photograph: Jennifer Segal]
It isn't all that common to see asparagus served raw, and when you do, it's often in the form of shaved stalks. But chopped raw asparagus is actually perfect for salads, too. Here, we simply toss the cut asparagus shoots with a creamy Caesar dressing and top it with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Get the recipe for the Raw Asparagus Caesar Salad »
Pasta
Soba Salad With Seaweed, Cucumbers, and Asparagus
[Photograph: Daniel Gritzer]
If you're a loyal Serious Eats reader, you may already be aware of our rules for pasta salad—avoid raw vegetables! Sauce it instead of dressing it! But Asian pasta salads are the exception. Case in point: This buckwheat-noodle salad incorporates refreshing raw cucumber and a lemon-soy vinaigrette, along with crisp-tender blanched asparagus.
Get the recipe for the Soba Salad With Seaweed, Cucumbers, and Asparagus »
Ricotta Gnocchi With Asparagus and Prosciutto
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
If you can believe it, making ricotta gnocchi from scratch is so easy that I once did it with one wrist immobilized (careful on your bicycles, kids). But even if you want to skip making homemade pasta, you've got to try this easy and flavorful cream-based sauce, made with asparagus, prosciutto, and scallions (or green garlic, if you have it). To finish, top with lemon zest and Parmesan.
Get the recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi With Asparagus and Prosciutto »
Lemony Pasta With Asparagus and Bacon
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
This pasta dish starts like a classic Roman cacio e pepe, but it's loaded up with spring-appropriate add-ins. We flavor it with asparagus and bacon, plus bright lemon juice, spring onions, and jalapeños for a little heat. Sauté the onion whites in the rendered bacon fat for extra flavor.
Get the recipe for Lemony Pasta With Asparagus and Bacon »
And More
Asparagus Tartine With Ricotta and Mint
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
New-picked spring asparagus has an intense sweetness that begs for a simple preparation, and this tartine lets the vegetable really shine. We blanch the asparagus and pair it with mild ricotta, which won't overwhelm the other flavors here. Torn mint leaves add a nice refreshing bite, and freshly cracked black pepper and plenty of olive oil provide the finishing touches.
Get the recipe for the Asparagus Tartine With Ricotta and Mint »
Asparagus and Ramp Soup With Yogurt
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
A fleetingly brief portion of asparagus season is also ramp season, if you're lucky enough to live in the right part of the country. We're crazy for these alliums, and we can't resist any opportunity to match them with other spring vegetables—like in this creamy, bright green soup, made with both ramps and asparagus and thickened with tangy yogurt.
Get the recipe for Asparagus and Ramp Soup With Yogurt »
Grilled Pizza With Grilled Tomatoes, Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Marcona Almonds
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Even without any fancy accoutrements, the grill is one of the best ways to make crisp, well-charred pizza at home. Of course, toppings are limited only by your imagination. For this pizza, we use sweet grilled cherry tomatoes and asparagus; creamy, tangy goat cheese; nutty Parmesan and Marcona almonds; and chopped fresh basil. Bonus: Since everything is cooked on the grill, there's no need to run back and forth between the backyard and the kitchen.
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