White Asparagus with Lemon and Dill

This White Asparagus recipe with lemon and dill is a light and delicious way to indulge in a unique vegetable. It's beautiful to add to a spring or summer spread for brunch, lunch or dinner.

White Asparagus is fascinating -- or interesting, at the very least. 😉 

For starters, white asparagus is grown covered with mulch and dark plastic, without ever being directly hit by sunlight. Without a chance for photosynthesis to occur, it never turns green.

White asparagus has a slightly more delicate flavor than green asparagus and it's delicious hot, warm and cold.

White asparagus season is roughly March through May, so during the spring you'll see white asparagus recipes popping up. I hope you'll give this one a go. It's a super simple and extra delicious way to try it.

The Ingredients

• fresh white asparagus - Select white asparagus spears that are firm and straight, with tightly-closed tips.
• fresh dill - Choose perky dill sprigs with a deep green color and almost feather-like leaves.
• lemon - I always use Meyer lemons over regular lemons when given the option. Meyer lemons are a touch less tart and a touch sweeter. And with a thinner skin and fewer seeds, they are incredibly juicy.
• extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt - I cook with Kosher salt because I like its larger flake size and it usually doesn't contain additives. (If you use table salt, always use half the amount.)
• sugar - The tiniest bit! Often white asparagus can be a bit bitter, and this will counteract that.
• black pepper - Preferably freshly ground.

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

Substitutions and Variations

• Fresh dill. Fresh fennel, chervil, flat-leaf parsley, tarragon and basil are all good substitute for the dill. Keep in mind, some have stronger flavors than others, so you might want to use more or less.

Recipe Tips

• The outer layer of white asparagus is tougher and slightly more bitter than that of the green asparagus, so it's almost always peeled before it's cooked. I don't recommend skipping this step!
• Be careful not to over-steam, otherwise the asparagus will become mushy. You can test the asparagus with the prongs of a fork -- they should slide in and out easily with a little bit of tension.

Serving Suggestions

• This is a great vegan side dish for lunch or dinner and it's fantastic at room temperature or cold.
• It's wonderful served along side chicken or fish. I especially like it with Lemon Chicken Under a Brick and Seared Sea Bass.
• This white asparagus recipe is also lovely to make to add to salads. Just cut the spears into bite-sized pieces and toss them in.
• Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce is superb drizzled of it!

Can you make it ahead?

You can make this a day ahead of time, and it's ideal to do so if you want to chill it and use it in salads.

How to Make it

- Place a medium-sized bowl of ice water on your work space.

- Cut, or snap off the tough bottom few inches of the asparagus spears and discard (or save for stock).

- Rinse and peel them from just below the floret to the bottom, using a vegetable peeler. Don't apply too much pressure because white asparagus can be very fragile.

- Place a steamer in a pot with the water level just below it. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil and then add the asparagus to the rack and cover. Reduce the heat to low and steam just until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

- Drain and immediately add the steamed asparagus to the bowl of ice water and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then remove, dry, and add them to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.

- In a very small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, dill, sugar, salt and oil together. Then drizzle it over the asparagus and carefully toss to be sure it's well coated.

_{* The lemon-dill sauce also makes for a fantastic salad dressing.}

Sprinkle lightly with black pepper and serve.

More Must-Try Asparagus Recipes

• Asparagus Soup
• Purple Asparagus
• Parmesan Asparagus Salad
• Asparagus Garnish and Steamed Asparagus

You can find more information and facts about white asparagus here.

I hope you love it!

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