All About Asparagus

A deep dive on the best harbinger of spring

I get very excited this time of year when the first verdant asparagus come bolting out of the ground and everything is absolutely exploding with life after a long, cold winter. I am not a person who gets excited about ramps. I know it’s very fashionable to love ramps, but I just don’t like them that much. (Can anyone else support me on this?) I have cooked with them, and I have had very good restaurant dishes made with them, but I’ll wait just a week or two longer for asparagus, thank you very much.

At this point in the season, the utter novelty and simplicity of some really local, really fresh asparagus is an annual revelation that never gets old. At the height of summer there’s more produce than I know what to do with, and it feels like a race to cook everything and enjoy the abundance before it’s all gone. When the asparagus pop up, there’s not much else yet, so it makes perfect sense to eat as much of it as possible until they disappear for another year and I move on to other seasonal delights.

My favorite thing about this farm stand in Wainscott, NY—which is always the first on the scene with asparagus—is the Chock full o'Nuts coffee can they use for the money. It’s the same one year after year, as you can see. They have duct-taped the lid to repair it repeatedly! I never have exact change, so Venmo would be a good update, but that might spoil things.

I drove over to my semi-secret honor system farm stand this morning in hopes that the asparagus would be on the table for the first time, and indeed they were. I’ll be roasting them simply and eating them alongside a piece of local swordfish I got a few weeks ago direct from the fisherman. It was too much for that night, so I threw half of it into the freezer. (Update: a very good dinner. I made caper brown butter to go with the fish.)

When I’m not making them into a straightforward side like that, many of my favorite ways to enjoy asparagus involve an egg or two. Poached, jammy, or in the form of a hollandaise or aioli, all make excellent accompaniments to the subtly sweet, vegetal asparagus.

I’ll get into some of my best tips for buying, storing, and prepping asparagus below, as well as my favorite asparagus recipes from the archive. But if you’re not an asparagus person, there are plenty more recipes here:

Asparagus Tips:

• When you buy asparagus, they should be standing in a little bit of water. The stalks should look smooth and plump (not wrinkled), especially near the rubber band that’s probably around them, and the tips should be completely intact.

• When you get your asparagus home from the market: Trim the bottoms if they’re dry, then stand them up in a bowl or plastic container with about an inch of water in the bottom. Cover loosely with a plastic bag and store in the fridge. Try to use them within a day or two.

• Sometimes they can be sandy, so I always give mine a thorough dunk in a bowl of cold water, swishing them around, before using.

• To peel or not to peel? I usually don’t, but if they're really fat, I might, just to ensure that they won't be stringy. Plus it looks really cool with the purple ones!

• To snap or to cut? Again, I don't really follow rules here as much as intuition. Also, I’m lazy, so I often just chop the whole bunch at what seems like a safe point. It does work to let them snap naturally but sometimes it’s too high on the stalk, and I don't want to waste the goodness!

• Any scraps or leftover cooked asparagus can be made into a quick pureed soup. Use this “eat your greens” soup and sub asparagus for all or some of the broccoli.

• I like to use a peeler like this one to shave asparagus. This one should work too, but is a little flimsier and may not be up to the hard job. I regularly use the U-peeler to shave Parmesan too—a great topping for grilled asparagus!

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My favorite asparagus recipes

Today I’m sharing some of my favorite ways to make the most of asparagus season, and we have something for every course (except dessert)! Many of these recipes are behind the paywall in the archive, but I’m unlocking them for you for one week only. So if you want ‘em, download ‘em or print ‘em!

Snack-y Asparagus Platter with Preserved Lemon Aioli

Asparagus is the ultimate finger food and the perfect anchor for a snacking platter to serve with drinks for company, or for a weeknight dinner, perhaps with another snack-y item. This assemblage features fried lemons and almonds, plus an aioli for dipping with a secret powerhouse ingredient.

Asparagus Salad with Jammy Eggs, Hazelnuts, and Grainy Mustard Dressing

Eggs are undeniably the most natural partner for asparagus. Here they appear in jammy form alongside a bright, mustardy dressing, peppery arugula, briny capers, and crunchy roasted hazelnuts.

Open Face Asparagus Omelet

This delicate omelet is the perfect easy (but special) meal to make for yourself (or you and another). This is definitely a breakfast for dinner option, and if you’re vegetarian, simply omit the prosciutto.

Crustless Asparagus Quiche

This crustless quiche has a trembling custardy consistency, and is an ideal blank slate for your imagination when it comes to add-ins. It makes a great centerpiece dish for brunch, and you don’t even need to think ahead!

Savory Cheesy French Toast

It doesn’t take a genius to know that creamy, custardy, but still-chewy-on-the-edges slabs of bread with Parmesan and Gruyère is going to be good. But this is really good. And easy. You could have it for brunch, but it works just as well for lunch or dinner with a few additions or embellishments.

Shaved Asparagus Salad

When asparagus is abundant and snappy fresh, here’s a fantastic way to use it. You will need a sharp, preferably U- or V-shaped vegetable peeler, which is the best tool to peel the asparagus into thin shavings.