Description
Refreshing French-inspired Tarragon Asparagus Salad brings crisp spring vegetables together with a delicate herbal dressing. Elegant yet simple, this dish offers light, tangy flavors perfect for your summer gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pound (1 lb) fresh asparagus
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
- 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan or crumbled goat cheese
Dressing Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Garnish and Optional Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup toasted almonds or pine nuts
Instructions
- Prepare water bath by filling a large pot with salted water and heating to rolling boil at 212°F.
- Submerge asparagus into boiling water, cooking for precisely 2-3 minutes until achieving a vibrant emerald hue and reaching crisp-tender texture.
- Swiftly transfer asparagus into ice water bath, halting cooking process and preserving bright color and delicate crispness.
- Thoroughly drain asparagus using colander, allowing excess water to completely evaporate.
- Create emulsified dressing by whisking olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, Dijon mustard, finely chopped tarragon, kosher salt, and cracked black pepper until smoothly integrated.
- Gently coat blanched asparagus with prepared dressing, ensuring even distribution of flavors.
- Elegantly garnish salad with delicate shavings of Parmesan cheese or creamy goat cheese.
- Optional: Sprinkle toasted nuts for added textural contrast and nutty complexity.
- Present salad chilled or at ambient temperature to maximize flavor profile and aromatic essence of tarragon.
Notes
- Perfectly blanch asparagus by ensuring water is heavily salted, creating a flavorful initial seasoning for the vegetable.
- Stop cooking process immediately with ice bath to maintain crisp texture and vibrant green color, preventing mushy asparagus.
- Toast nuts briefly in a dry skillet to enhance their nutty flavor and add delightful crunch to the salad’s overall texture.
- Adjust dressing consistency by adding more olive oil or lemon juice to suit personal taste preferences, creating a balanced vinaigrette.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 176 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg