We seldom think of eating asparagus raw, but when shaved into long, thin ribbons, this spring vegetable makes a beautifully crisp and flavorful salad or side dish.
This is an occasion when you want to use fatter asparagus stalks. We like to use a vegetable peeler to cut the ribbons (it feels safer), but a mandoline also works. Sliced into thin strips, the raw asparagus is crunchy yet pliable enough to wrap around a fork.
Think of this recipe as a starting point; you could also play around with ingredients like lemon juice and zest, shallots, capers, different herbs and nuts, or a Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Ricotta, chèvre, and Pecorino cheeses are good additions, too.
Asparagus RibbonsServes 4
1/2 pound asparagus
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 tablespoons tarragon leaves
Trim the bottom ends off the asparagus and, using a vegetable peeler or mandoline, slice the stalks lengthwise into very thin strips.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the asparagus ribbons and gently toss with your hands until evenly coated. Then add the almonds and tarragon leaves and gently toss to combine.
Transfer to a serving dish(es) and serve immediately.
Related: Recipe: Asparagus & Pecorino
(Images: Emily Ho)
Kart Serving Tray b...

Comments (13)
soooo how exactly do I peel these things with out also including the lovely garnish of slivered fingertips?
stickyheels,
how do porcupines have sex? veryyy carefully
Eelie lol - I was going to comment as someone that just had part of her finger sliced into a salad thru her mandoline - no way I would attempt this with a mandoline. The peeler makes sense.
@stickyheels: My thought is to not cut off the woody end of the asparagus before you peel. That way there is an inch or two for you to hang on to. This is the method I'm going to try tonight.
I have made a similar salad and followed a suggestion regarding peeling asparagus on a different forum that worked well--I laid each one on the handle of a wooden spoon and used it to balance the asparagus as I peeled it, holding onto the tip as I peeled. I'm afraid that unless you have a very thick stalk, leaving the woody end on and holding it is still going to make for a very floppy, difficult task. The way it did it was really simple, quick and safe.
I slice asparagus like this to toss with pasta all spring and just (finally!) figured out that I can lay it sideways in my food processor and use the slicing blade to cut it into ribbons. Way faster than the slow peeling I used to do!
oh, sounds delicious. I make zucchini ribbon salad almost daily! So delicious. Sometimes just with olive oil, salt and pepper. Sometimes with a dijon vinaigrette. Sometimes tossed with fresh mozz, tomatoes and basil with olive oil, salt and pepper. YUM!
Lynsey, I'm intrigued - how do you get it to slice sideways in the food processor? Judging from my experience with carrots in my KA model, I'm guessing that asparagus would just sort of spin around between the cover and the blade and not really slice.
How to ribbon asparagus: http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/05/ribboned-asparagus-salad-with-lemon/
Glad to see I'm not the only one who looks at the photo and goes "whaa?"
deelw I just set it sideways and use the center thingy (I'm not sure what it's actually called...) to press it down a little. I have a Cuisinart and have never had problems, but maybe it's a difference in models?
Thanks, Lynsey! I'm going to have to try it and find out - maybe I'll learn something new about my machine :)
We almost sold our mandoline because of near misses with our fingers due to the badly designed food pusher. I bought a cut-resistant glove from Amazon and we love our mandoline again. The glove won't stand up to really aggressive cutting or punctures but it's great for protecting the fingertips from the mandoline.
I'm going to try this salad tonight since our farmer's market had plenty of asparagus yesterday.