Asparagus is such a delicious vegetable but sadly is only in season for around 2 months a year. It can be used in so many dishes and just as easily served as a side dish. However you do need to know how to cook asparagus properly to get the most out of it.
There are so many recipes that include asparagus from dishes such as Asparagus and Prawn Stir Fry and Salmon and Asparagus Tagliatelle. Also dishes such as Pumpkin and Asparagus Soup and Asparagus wrapped in Bacon show how flexible this vegetable can be.
Storing asparagus is so easy. Just dampen kitchen paper and wrap the asparagus and pop in the bottom of the fridge. It will stay fresh for 4 – 5 days. There are 6 basic methods of How to Cook Asparagus and one raw method, all of which are very easy. These include frying/griddling, steaming, roasting, grilling, air frying and on the barbecue. However what most people don’t realise is that it can also be eaten raw. I will admit my when serving with salmon and other fish I steam asparagus. When cooking steak, I fry in the juices and fat of the steak. When preparing a lot then I tend to roast as its easier in bulk. If i’m serving with poached eggs, I find that grilled asparagus adds to the dish without taking anything away, a perfect match. Finally I air fry if I’m feeling lazy.
How to Cook Asparagus
Equipment
- 1 Griddle Pan or
- 1 Steamer or
- 1 roasting tray
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus
Instructions
Roasting
- This is a very simple method to cook asparagus.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
- As with any style of cooking asparagus, remove the woody stem and place the fresh section into a roasting tray and drizzle with a little olive oil together with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Toss the asparagus to make sure they are all coated and seasoned and then pop into the oven and roast for 10 – 12 minutes or until lovely and tender.
- Remove and serve.
Grilling
- Turn on the grill to a high heat
- Place the asparagus on a grill pan and lightly drizzle with olive oil together with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pop under the grill and cook for 3 – 5 minutes or until soft and tender.
Steaming
- Place the asparagus into the steaming tray or basket and place over a pan of boiling water. Add the lid and let steam for 2 – 4 minutes. The asparagus will turn a brighter green.
- Once tender, remove from the steamer and serve. However, if you not eating straight away dunk the asparagus into cold/ice water to stop the cooking process and preserve the colour.
Frying
- Place a griddle pan over a high heat and while heating up, lightly drizzle olive oil over the spears.
- When hot, add the asparagus in a single layer and season with salt and pepper.
- Fry for 1 – 2 minutes turning every 30 seconds until they have become tender. To check if cooked, lift the root end up and if the asparagus droops its ready.
Air Frying
- Preheat the air fryer to 200C/400F and lightly drizzle the asparagus with olive oil.
- Season with salt and pepper and toss to make sure they are fully coated and lay in the air fryer basket in a single layer. You may have to cook in batches, keeping the cooked ones warm in the oven.
- Cook for 4 minutes turn over and cook for a further 3 – 4 minutes. Frying time will be less if the spears are thin.
BBQ
- Drizzle the spears with olive oil and place over a medium heat section of the barbecue perpendicular to the grill. Turn every 15 seconds to make sure they don’t stick or burn.
- Barbecue for 2 minutes or until tender.
- Remove and serve.
Raw
- Whilst we realise this is not actually a cooked method but to cover all ways of cooking and serving we though it should be included.
- Pell the outer layer as they can be rather tough.
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the asparagus into thin strips leaving the core behind as this can be tough when uncooked.
