Fresh, locally-grown asparagus tastes better than sad supermarket stalks, but this flavor often comes at a price: sand, and lots of it. Chef Dan Barber, who knows a thing or two about just-picked produce, recommends blanching gritty asparagus to fully clean it. Here's why:
As asparagus cooks, it can release grit, as Amanda Hesser of Food52 learned when a particularly sandy bunch of asparagus resisted three rounds of soaking and washing. After hitting the hot pan, the ostensibly clean stalks still leaked grit, ruining the dish she was preparing for a dinner party.
She later ran into Barber, who told her he always blanches local asparagus, so the grit is released into the cooking water and drained away. I often shy away from very sandy asparagus at the market because it is so hard to clean, but no more — next time I'm giving this method a try.
• Read more: Friday Night Dinner Party I at Food52
Do you have any tips or tricks for cleaning particularly gritty produce?
Related: 'Tis the Season (Finally!): 6 Great Dinners Featuring Asparagus
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Thank you for this tip! We have generally gotten our asparagus from the local produce stand, but never from the farmer's market. We'll have to try it next time.
Interesting!
Here's how I clean asparagus, I fill a large pot with water and submerge them . Then to take them out, I grab a couple stalks at a time by the base and vigorously shake them back and forth under the water. The sand settles to the bottom.
This is something I always struggle with every spring. I LOVE asparagus so I usually just grin and bear it, but I will be trying this technique next time for sure.
Interesting...We are lucky to live close to asparagus growing capital of the world, Stockton, CA so consequently, we eat it at least two times/week during its season. I have never experienced any type of grittiness that isn't remedied by just washing it under running water.
I, like Rosebud, have never experienced grit in my asparagus, even wild picked. I was surprised to read this article. However, if I ever do have grit, I'll know how to cope with it. Thanks!
I've never run into this problem. Just bought some yesterday from the farmers market. Make me wonder why? Good tip though.
I never ran into this problem till just now! The grit doesn't wash off. blanching the rest of it!
crunch crunch crunch. such delicious asparagus!