One of the best things about asparagus is that it’s wonderfully versatile. From side dishes to light salads and stunning mains, asparagus spears can do it all.
Sure we love lightly blanched asparagus with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (or lemon zest) and cracked black pepper, but these versatile green stalks have so much more potential. Add just-tender asparagus to our spring-ready poached chicken salad with blue cheese. Or serve Restaurant Botanic‘s grilled asparagus and wagyu skewers with charred capsicum paste as a brilliant side dish. If you’re looking for a nourishing breakfast, bake our deliciously simple asparagus frittata. The possibilities are endless.
Featured in this collection of best asparagus recipes are fast dinners, like our asparagus and soba noodle bowl that’s ready in 20 minutes; our asparagus and ricotta pizza bianche; David Moyle’s smoked trout, radish and asparagus salad; and more. Plus, we’ve sprinkled in a dozen of our best asparagus recipes for entertaining.
Here are the top asparagus recipes to make during asparagus season.
Poached chicken asparagus salad with blue cheese
This is an ultra-elevated take on a chicken salad — with bite.
Asparagus and soba noodle salad with furikake pine nuts
Make it a meal: for a more substantial dish, stir-fry prawns in sesame oil and garlic and toss through the noodles.
Restaurant Botanic’s wagyu and asparagus skewers with charred capsicum paste
This is the perfect luxe barbecue meal for summer.
Stuffed pork cutlets with asparagus slaw
Pork lovers, this is the recipe for you.
Grilled tuna salad with egg, asparagus and anchovy vinaigrette
Where classic flavours, top-shelf produce and minimal intervention combine.
Veal cotoletta with asparagus and preserved lemon
The lemon and asparagus prevent this dish from feeling too rich and heavy, and if you don’t have veal, chicken breast will work just as well.
Fleet’s grilled asparagus with sheep’s-milk labne
A fresh sidekick to a roast chicken, or an easy starter on its own.
Andrew McConnell’s spring crudités with house-made curd
The best of the season’s harvest, simple and unadulterated, with a side of velvety curd.
Asparagus and eggs with miso dressing
An easy lunch? A side dish for dinner? A weekend brunch? It’s all of the above.
Chicken salad with asparagus and quinoa
If you’ve got the time, toast the quinoa in a little grapeseed oil until it’s golden brown before adding the water – it adds a great nutty flavour that works well with the asparagus.
Asparagus and ricotta pizze bianche
Asparagus and ricotta pizze bianche recipe – For pizza dough, combine olive oil, yeast, sugar, ½ tsp salt and 320ml lukewarm water in a bowl and set aside until foamy (2-3 minutes).
Barigoule of artichoke, asparagus and kale with scallops and clams
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Barigoule of artichoke, asparagus and kale with scallops and clams
Emma McCaskill’s green asparagus, fennel, lentil and labne salad
A combination that just works.
Zucchini flower, asparagus and fennel salad
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for zucchini flower, asparagus and fennel salad.
Whipped tofu and zucchini tart with fennel salad
If you’ve been wanting to ease into tofu but unsure where to start, this tofu tart is the perfect segue.
Grilled asparagus, herb and goat’s curd baked eggs
Recipe for grilled asparagus, herb and goat’s curd baked eggs.
Perfect match: asparagus salad with Kiwi sav blanc
Australian Gourmet Traveller wine match recipe for roast asparagus, chicory and goat’s cheese salad with Kiwi sauvignon blanc.
Miso broth with broad beans and tofu
A vegetarian broth that still packs a umami punch.
Asparagus, dill and onion tart
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for asparagus, dill and onion tart.
Asparagus with walnut mayonnaise
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for asparagus with walnut mayonnaise from Lyle’s, London.
Asparagus and watercress salad
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for asparagus and watercress salad.
Bistecca Fiorentina with asparagus
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for bistecca Fiorentina with asparagus.
Prosciutto, asparagus and ricotta on grilled flatbreads
Is there anything more satisfying than making your own flatbread? This is one of the simplest recipes we know.
Tony Tan’s stir-fried asparagus with shiitake mushrooms and chilli
Inspired by an asparagus dish eaten in Sichuan, Tony Tan stir-fries his own version with fresh shiitake mushrooms, ginger and soy sauce. So simple, so good.
Osteria Illaria’s grilled fennel and asparagus salad
“Fennel’s flavour changes dramatically as you grill it, and it gives it more depth,” says Andreas Papadakis.
Roasted mushrooms with asparagus and goat’s cheese
A vegetarian roast with the most.
Asparagus with blood-orange and chervil hollandaise
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Asparagus with blood-orange and chervil hollandaise for a Great Gatsby party
Mike McEnearney’s crushed broad bean, grilled asparagus, pecorino and sorrel tartine
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for crushed broad bean, grilled asparagus, pecorino and sorrel tartine by Mike McEnearney from Mike’s Kitchen in NSW.
Warm asparagus salad with walnuts, parmesan, lemon and olive oil
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for warm asparagus salad with walnuts, parmesan, lemon and olive oil.
David Moyle’s smoked trout, asparagus and radish salad
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Smoked trout, asparagus and radish salad from David Moyle of Peppermint Bay.
Spring green frittata
It’s like green eggs, without the ham.
Thi Le’s asparagus with fermented beancurd, olives and ginger dressing
A tangy twist on a classic side, try Anchovy’s asparagus with fermented beancurd, olives and ginger dressing for a sense-igniting dish.
Insalata primavera
This versatile spring salad mixes and matches seasonal green vegetables for the optimal combination of textures and flavours. Experiment to your heart’s content.
Asparagus and egg tramezzini with lemon aïoli
Turin’s pillowy sandwich, the tramezzino, is the perfect vehicle for crunchy asparagus and soft egg.
Pasta and greens
A quick weeknight dish filled with seasonal green vegetables and lots of parmesan.
Chorizo and asparagus salad with chimichurri
Quick to make and full of rich Spanish tomato and garlic flavours, our recipe for a chorizo and asparagus salad with chimichurri makes for a solid summer dinner.
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When you have canned tuna, you make this tonnato
The creamy tuna sauce is usually spooned over thinly sliced veal in the classic Italian dish vitello tonnato, but it also makes a great dip in its own right.
Prosciutto and parmesan cappellacci with brown butter and asparagus
Ham-and-cheese-filled pasta, burnt butter and fresh asparagus – this recipe speaks for itself.
Bistecca with asparagus and salsa dragoncello
Simple blanched asparagus makes a no-fuss accompaniment to this steak, but for a smokier, nuttier flavour, toss the spears on the grill while the T-bones are cooking.
Grilled baby snapper with sauce Antiboise
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for grilled baby snapper with sauce Antiboise by Donovan Cooke from The Atlantic, Melbourne.
Asparagus, poached egg and Taleggio baguette
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Asparagus, poached egg and Taleggio baguette from Earl Canteen, Melbourne
La vignarola (Roman spring stew)
Broad beans, artichokes and asparagus, gently simmered in broth, then scattered with herbs. This is a dish made for spring.
Roast whiting with asparagus and sauce vierge
Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for roast whiting with asparagus and sauce vierge.
Buckwheat crêpes with egg and asparagus
Emma Knowles recipe for buckwheat crêpes with egg and asparagus.
Brae’s asparagus and olive herb in sea butter
Dan Hunter’s recipe for asparagus and olive herb in sea butter from Brae restaurant in Victoria for Gourmet Institute.
Stirfried asparagus with garlic
Australian Gourmet Traveller Chinese recipe for stirfried asparagus with garlic by Tony Tan
FAQs
What method of cooking is best for preparing asparagus?
One of the beauties of asparagus is its versatility: whichever way you cook it — grilled, pan-fried, blanched or roasted — you can’t go wrong. It needs very little to taste good. Serve it as a side salad with eggs and miso dressing, in a tart with dill and onion or simply grilled on top of a bed of marinated feta and charred crostini, and you have a dish worth bragging about.
When is asparagus in season?
In Australia, asparagus is around for a good time, not a long time! It’s in season during spring, so you’ll find it at its best from September to November.
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