Easter asparagus salad

Wash and trim the asparagus, cutting off the woody ends.

Blanch in plenty of boiling, salted water until cooked but retaining bite. Drain, leave to cool slightly and cut into pieces at an angle.

Blanch the peas in boiling, salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain and leave to cool.

Wash the rocket and spin dry.

Peel the garlic and press into 8 tbsp olive oil. Add the herbs, salt and plenty of pepper and puree finely with an electric hand blender.

Leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Mix the asparagus, peas and rocket and divide between 4 plates.

Scatter with spoonfuls of goat's cheese and serve drizzled with the garlic and herb dressing. Fresh, crusty white bread goes well with this dish.

How to clean asparagus

The easiest way to clean asparagus is to start by snapping off the woody section at the base of each spear. With a little pressure, a natural break should occur where the stalk starts to get harder. If not, you can always trim it off with a knife. After that, all you need to do is rinse the asparagus under cold water to get rid of any dirt. Pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Storing asparagus

It’s always better to eat asparagus when it’s as fresh as possible, but if that’s not an option, trim them anyway and stand them up in around an inch of water in the bottom of a glass jar. Cover with a plastic bag and refrigerate for up to five days.

Hungry for more? Learn more asparagus facts and about six different varieties and how to cook them here. If you want to find out about every possible way to cook asparagus, from boiling to pan-roasting, this article is for you.

This recipe was updated on 01/04/2023.