Asparagus season is like Ferris Bueller’s famous quote: “Life (asparagus season) moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around (buy some asparagus) you could miss it.” So what are you waiting for? Go get a couple bunches and make this sesame asparagus salad.
sesame asparagus salad is the perfect spring side dish.
It’s no secret that sesame is one of my favorite flavors. You can find it all over this blog. This salad uses sesame in two forms: toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds. Even still, you’ll only need 3 more ingredients to make this extremely simple and flavorful salad – which is perfect either cold or at room temperature.
What you need to make sesame asparagus salad:
- asparagus
- tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos
- toasted sesame oil
- sesame seeds
- fresh ginger
how to make sesame asparagus salad:
- Trim, chop, and blanch the asparagus
- Mix up the dressing of fresh ginger, tamari, sesame oil.
- Toss the asparagus with the sauce and add the sesame seeds.
Seriously, so easy! And of course a great dish to make when asparagus is in season, but this stuff is easy to find year round, so don’t hesitate to make it in the middle of winter if you get a craving for it.
This is the perfect dish to whip together if you need to bring something to a BBQ or picnic this spring or summer. I prefer it with asparagus that is on the thicker side, but it will work with any size.
Sesame Asparagus Salad – the perfect spring side dish
an easy and flavorful spring side dish
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: vegetables
- Method: blanch
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos* or tamari
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Have a colander and bowl of ice water ready.
- Snap or cut off the bottom woody ends of the asparagus and discard. Chop the rest on a bias into 1-inch pieces.
- In a large bowl, mix together the coconut aminos, sesame oil, and ginger.
- Once the water is boiling, drop in the asparagus and blanch for about 1 minute, longer for thick asparagus, shorter for skinny. You want it to be bright green and crisp-tender.
- Strain the asparagus and plunge into the ice water. Once cool, strain again and toss with the dressing and half the sesame seeds.
- Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
If using coconut aminos instead of tamari, add a dash of fish sauce to add some salt and umami
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Ckm77 says
Made this as a side dish for my steak today, and it was absolutely delicious! And easy to make:)
Thank you!
zenbellyblog says
So glad you liked it!
Eileen @ Phoenix Helix says
Made this tonight. Simple and delicious! My husband is an asparagus lover, and he usually doesn’t like when I do anything fancy with it, preferring its natural flavor. This recipe was the exception. He said it was the one recipe that made asparagus taste even better.
Aline Moulia says
Delicious! And so easy. Love recipes like these.