Simple Salad: Ribboned Asparagus with Lemon

asparagus salad

This is yet another one of those recipes that relies on the dewy and just-plucked integrity of the main ingredient— and isn't that nice? In fact, it's not really a recipe at all, more of a collection of prime ingredients, brought together in the perfect marriage of fresh and effortless. After the much-awaited arrival of freshly picked asparagus, in all of its bright green and dusky purple-tipped glory, what could be better than eating it raw (!), thinly shaved, with its two best friends: parmesan and lemon juice.

There are no exact measurements in this recipe. Everything is to taste, so taste as you go along to make sure you’re getting all the Parmesan, nutty, and lemony flavors you want.

Ribboned Asparagus Salad with Lemon

• 1/4 cup pine nuts or sliced almonds, toasted and cooled

• 1 pound asparagus, rinsed

• 1 lemon, halved

• Olive oil

• Coarse salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 to 2 ounces Parmesan cheese

asparagus

No need to snap off the tough ends of your asparagus. Lay a single stalk on its side on a cutting board. Holding onto the tough end, use a vegetable peeler to shave off thin asparagus ribbons from stalk to tip, peeling away from the tough end in your hand. Discard the tough ends once you’re done peeling.

Gently pile your ribbons on a medium-sized serving platter. Squeeze some lemon juice over the asparagus, drizzle it with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

Toss gently and then use your peeler to shave curls of Parmesan right off the block, over the asparagus. Sprinkle with some toasted nuts.

Repeat with remaining asparagus, a third of the remaining bundle at a time. Eat immediately.

Recipe and images from The Smitten Kitchen (Smitten Kitchen, we love you), additional image from madlyinlovewithlife.