Asparagus Salad with Mimosa Vinaigrette ~ this healthy salad is simple enough for every day, but elegant enough for entertaining, or a romantic date night in.
Asparagus is thrilling me these days…I’ve been gorging on it, and while I used to be all about the thin twiggy stalks, I’m developing an appreciation for the more massive spears, they have such a velvety ‘meaty’ texture, you need to use a steak knife to carve each delicious bite. The secret is to barely threaten them with heat ~ I steam them just long enough to brighten the color and take the raw edge off. If you pull them out at the right moment they stay tender and firm, ~ a minute more and they go limp and rubbery. Less is more when you’re cooking asparagus.
TIP: Have you always heard that you should bend your asparagus until it snaps in half to trim it? Well don’t ~ you’ll waste perfectly good asparagus that way. A better idea is to trim off about 2 inches from the bottom, or where it looks woody. If you like you can take a vegetable peeler and shave down the ends of the stalks, but I don’t find that’s necessary.
The rest of the cast is pretty simple, some paper thin slices of radish, shallot, and Parmigiano reggiano. The technique of slicing veggies super thinly is a good one, it preserves the crunch, but makes them easier to eat. I used it in my SHAVED APPLE AND RADISH SALAD, another pretty spring salad that goes beyond leafy greens.
The Mimosa Vinaigrette has got equal billing with the asparagus, and for good reason, it’s light and bright, just like its cocktail namesake. I whisk together fresh orange juice with champagne vinegar and some great extra virgin olive oil. A little bit of Dijon mustard adds flavor and helps to emulsify the dressing.
Make it Your Own!
- Transform this into a main course salad by topping it with grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak, thinly sliced.
- Use crumbled blue cheese or bacon instead of Parmesan.
- Substitute thinly sliced red onion for the shallot.
- Add a few fresh orange segments, or canned mandarin oranges.
Asparagus Salad with Mimosa Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 4 large leaves of butter lettuce, washed and dried
- about 10 stalks of asparagus
- 4 radishes
- 1 shallot
- shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, about 1/3 cup
- fresh thyme leaves
- fresh cracked black pepper
mimosa vinaigrette
- 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 4 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 Tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Wash and trim the ends off the asparagus. Bring a 1/2 inch of water to a boil in a skillet, and drop the asparagus in. Let cook for 1 minute then remove and rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Set on a clean dish towel to dry.
- Slice the radishes into paper thin slices, a mandoline slicer works well for this. Peel and slice the shallot the same way. Separate the shallot slices into rings.
- Arrange 2 lettuce leaves in each of 2 shallow bowls, or salad plates. Add the asparagus, and then the radish and shallots. Top with shaved cheese and thyme leaves.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together and be sure to give it a taste to adjust any of the ingredients to your liking..
- Drizzle a little dressing on each salad just before serving, and add fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
Don’t forget to pin this Asparagus Salad with Mimosa Vinaigrette!
We adore asparagus and the Mimosa vinaigrette sounds delightful as the name mimosa – is a genius name for it !
Yum!! Going to try this idea with added protein and more leaves for a big dinner salad this week. I just bought some monster asparagus. Love the idea of a mimosa dressing! Sounds and looks delicious. Thank you!
I was thinking this would be pretty laid out on a big platter with chicken or steak on top ~ hope you enjoy it Kathryn..
I’ve been eating tons of asparagus lately too. I used to roast it in the oven but then tried throwing it in a hot pan with a dab of butter. You’re right, it only needs a minute or two and it turns bright green, tender and so tasty. I am definitely going to try this salad .. love the suggestion of bleu cheese. Your photos are so crisp and beautiful, you pretty much make anything look amazing!
I needed a little mood boost today Amy, and you were right there for me, thanks 🙂 We used to roast our asparagus all the time, too, how interesting, but I agree, it really doesn’t need it. I’m feeling the same way about Brussels sprouts, too. Let us know if you try the blue cheese, it does sound good!
This is a gorgeous salad and mimosa dressing sounds so fancy!
Mimosa is such a pretty word 😉
Hi Sue, I chanced across your website and i must say this is a very visually pleasing post. Specific to this line i.e. “The technique of slicing veggies super thinly is a good one, it preserves the crunch, but makes them easier to eat” how do you define super thinly and i noticed you mentioned rinsing the asparagus in cold water. Is that because it adds to the crunch on the asaparagus?
Hi Andy ~ I use a mandoline slicer set at 1/8 inch, which gives me a really nice paper thin slice. And I rinse the asparagus under cold water to stop the cooking. You could use an ice bath, too, but I didn’t bother with that.
Can you get the Ad’s removed from being printed when one prints the recipe? It is maddening! this is my favorite sight and it messes me up.
I’ll look into that Pat, I’m not sure, let me check with my ad company, that shouldn’t be messing up the printing, sorry!!
We love asparagus cooked the same way too, lovely mimosa vinaigrette!
It’s amazing, it needs only a quick dunk in the boiling water, that’s it!
Wow! That mimosa vinaigrette sounds fabulous. Perfect flavours with asparagus. Will be trying this one 🙂
Thanks Jennifer ~ I love citrus flavors in dressings, and I would love this one on anything!
This is possibly the best brunch side dish…ever. I mean, or main dish. Whatever and whenever, I want it. 🙂
Such a pretty salad! And that mimosa dressing sounds really yummy too, Sue.