Asparagus Parmesan Salad with Pickled Shallots is beautiful and delicious for spring and summer. It’s made with a handful of simple ingredients and is overflowing with flavor!
You know how you can’t stop eating a bowl of chocolate-covered pretzels? (I can only assume that happens to you, too.)
Well, have you ever been served a salad you simply can’t stop eating — in the same way?! This happens to me with both sweet and savory foods — and trust me, it’s better if it’s this salad than the pretzels! 😉
I promise you, you’ll experience that with this Asparagus-Parmesan Salad! And so will your weekend guests!
How to Make Cold Asparagus Salad
- Once the asparagus has been prepped, it gets steamed for about 6 minutes.
- Then it gets shocked in ice water, to help hold the color and stop the cooking.
- At this point it’s dried off, cut into the desired size and added to the salad.
It’s not a must, but I usually peel the asparagus, because often times the outer layer can be tough. (When the spears are quite slim, you don’t need to worry about this.)
Every bite of this asparagus parmesan salad is a beautiful combination of textures and flavors– crisp, crunchy, soft, sweet, salty and tangy. Oh my!
Did you add the sliced shallots to their marinade yet? For the Lime-Pickled Shallots? Those are an integral ingredient in this bundle of deliciousness!
Asparagus Parmesan Salad with Pickled Shallots is great as a first course, but also substantial enough to serve as an entrée salad.
Timeline:
up to 1 day and at least 10 minutes ahead: Steam and shock the asparagus.
up to 4 days and at least 5 minutes ahead: Make the dressing.
Just before serving: Toss the salad with the dressing.
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Asparagus Parmesan Salad with Pickled Shallots is beautiful and delicious for spring and summer. It's made with a handful of simple ingredients and is overflowing with flavor!
- 3/4 pound asparagus
- 3 ounces mixed baby greens, washed and dried
- 3/4 cup Lime-Pickled Shallots, drained
- 3/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, (from shallot marinade if you have it)
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1-1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- feshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
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Cut the tough bottom portion off of the asparagus spears -- this is usually about 3-inches or so. Then peel the asparagus and set up a steamer on the stove with water just beneath the rack. Bring the water in the steamer to a boil and place the peeled asparagus spears on the rack and cover. Steam to the desired doneness; the asparagus should be moist and tender, about 6 minutes. Drain the asparagus and "shock" it by placing it in a bowl of ice-water for about 3 minutes. This will stop it from cooking any further and help to keep the bright color. Then cut the spears in half, both vertically and horizontally.
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In a large mixing or serving bowl, toss the asparagus with the greens, shallots and cheese. Set aside.
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In a small mixing bowl, combine the lime juice with the mustard, honey and salt. Gradually whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with the pepper and more salt if necessary.
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Toss the salad with the dressing and serve at once!
My favorite way to make salad dressing is in a jar. Simply add all of the ingredients, put the lid on, and shake!
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Norma Chang says
February 23, 2012 at 2:16 pmAsparagus and baby greens, a perfect spring salad.
valentina says
March 6, 2013 at 7:17 amThank you so much, Norma! 🙂
Marina@cowboycountryvegetarian says
February 24, 2012 at 12:39 amWhat a great recipe! can’t wait when asparagus will be in season. You have a wonderful blog. I am totally with you on the “fake” ingredients, it doesn’t work in my kitchen… I do love tofu as a meal , though.
valentina says
February 24, 2012 at 5:21 amThank you so much, Marina! So appreciate you checking out my blog! 😀