I found my new favorite spring lunch salad while I was hiding from a pot of brisket, which is the kind of thing that happens three days after Passover. Day one (which is actually day two or three after you’ve cooked the brisket, because you know I’d never lead you astray, right?) is lovely: my goodness, why don’t we eat long-cooked, saucy slabs of beef more often? Day two isn’t so bad either, albeit a touch less enthusiastic: yay, brisket. Day three is: my god this isn’t natural, nobody should eat this much brisket, what am I going to do? I cannot waste food. It’s too long into the brisket’s lifespan to freeze it now. And my thoughts turned to the vibrant green asparagus stalks we’d had with it, and that brisket was instantly relegated to a side dish.
I wasn’t even a little bit surprised that I found inspiration for asparagus in the Six Seasons cookbook. Have you bought it yet? I know this is awfully bossy of me, but I think you should. I think that if you, like me, delight in inventive but not overly complicated vegetable preparations (225 of them, even), things you hadn’t thought of but that you’ll immediately tuck into your repertoire, you’re going to love this book as much as I do. I confess I’ve had it for almost a year. In that year, I’ve been almost overwhelmed with how much I’ve wanted to cook from it — a favorite so far has been the comfortable cabbage and farro soup with parmesan and lemon — almost to the point of paralysis, which is as ridiculous of a first-world problem as having too much brisket to eat, but here we are and at least one impasse helped resolve another.
So let’s talk about this dish: It’s been so long since we did an asparagus salad, and only one has been raw, a shame because thinly sliced asparagus is almost sweet and not dry or woodsy at all. Previously, I’ve just ribboned it with a peeler. This is easier, more satisfyingly crisp, and less fragile too. The original recipe uses breadcrumbs to enhance the crunch; I skipped them because I pictured this on toast or crackers but missed them so little, I don’t think I’d add them back in even if eating it straight from a bowl, as I am this minute.
I added the eggs. I call these medium-cooked eggs; feel free to use fully hard-boiled ones if that’s what you’ve gotten idling in your fridge, but I find these more interesting. They’re not runny, but they’re not fully set or opaque in the center either. They amount tender oases in a crunchy salad; all of the flavorful bits stick to them (vs. fully hard-boiled eggs, whose insides crumble and stick to everything else).
I was suspicious of the lemon zest and mint and they’re my two favorite parts. Don’t skip them at all.
Finally, as might already be clear, I didn’t wait until asparagus season in New York to try this, as McFadden would have wanted us to. I have given up, just given up. It snowed in April, and might again before the week is out. When the asparagus shows up at the market, I’ll make it again and realize everything this salad is missing, but right now, when the grocery store is the greenest place I know, I couldn’t imagine another more perfect use of what’s there.
Previously
One year ago: Cornbread Waffles, Mushroom Tartines, and Almond Horn Cookies
Two years ago: Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart, Sesame Soba and Ribboned Omelet Salad, and Apricot Hazelnut Brown Butter Hamantaschen
Three years ago: Potatoes with Soft Eggs and Bacon Vinaigrette, The Consolation Prize (A Mocktail), and Baked Chickpeas with Pita Chips and Yogurt
Four years ago: Sizzling Chicken Fajitas, Wholegrain Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Five years ago: Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Feta and Tahini and Spinach and Smashed Egg Toast
Six years ago: Soft Eggs with Buttery Herb-Gruyere Toasts and Raspberry Coconut Macaroons
Seven years ago: Spaetzle
Eight years ago: Baked Rigatoni with Tiny Meatballs, St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake, Breakfast Pizza, and Irish Soda Bread Scones
Nine years ago: Pita Bread, Layer Cake Tips and The Biggest Birthday Cake Yet and Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Cornbread
Ten years ago: Almond Biscotti and Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake
Eleven years ago: Skillet Irish Soda Bread, The Best Chocolate Cake, Expletive-Free, Rich Buttermilk Waffles, and Mixed Berry Pavlova
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Chocolate Tahini Challah Buns and Quick Pasta and Chickpeas
1.5 Years Ago: Piri Piri Chicken, Chocolate Pavlova, and Homemade Merguez with Herby Yogurt
2.5 Years Ago: Zucchini Rice and Cheese Gratin, Oat and Wheat Sandwich Bread, and The Perfect Manhattan
3.5 Years Ago: Chocolate and Toasted Hazelnut Milk, Herbed Tomato and Roasted Garlic Tart, and Cauliflower Slaw
4.5 Years Ago: Butterscotch vs. Caramel and Butterscotch Pudding Popsicles
Asparagus and Egg Salad with Walnuts and Mint
I believe in toasting nuts any time you’re going to use them, and especially here. I am not crazy about grating parmesan with a microplane zester; I find it yields fluffy clouds that can disappear in food and are often half the amount of cheese you’ll need for good flavoring. I have all the unpopular opinions today, I know.
You can peel your eggs under running water if needed but I find when I begin with cold eggs and plunge them into cold water as soon as I want them to stop cooking, the shells come off very easily and was delighted to see this backed up by science
- 4 large eggs, cold from fridge
- 1/2 cup (1 ounce or 30 grams) grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces or 55 grams) finely chopped lightly well-toasted walnuts
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Dried chile flakes
- 1 pound asparagus, any thickness, tough ends trimmed
- About 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
Place parmesan, walnuts, and lemon zest in the bottom of a large bowl, along with 1 teaspoon salt, many grind of black pepper, and about 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes (or more or less to taste; I used half because: kids). Stir to combine.
Cut the asparagus on a sharp angle into very thin slices and add to the parmesan mixture. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and toss some more. Taste and adjust the flavors to your preference by adding more salt, black pepper, chile flakes, or lemon juice, and go a little bit heavy, so the flavors don’t disappear once you add the eggs. Add mint and olive oil toss, adjusting seasoning again.
Peel your cooled eggs. Cut in half, then each half into 6 to 8 chunks. Add to bowl with asparagus and give it one or two gentle stirs (I don’t want to get them too mashed up here).
Eat as is, or scoop onto 6 to 8 toasts or 3 large matzo sheets, halved into 6 more manageable “toasts” (obviously this would negate the gluten-free categorization).
Cannot wait to try this~! Been watching for the recipe all day!!!
Thanks Deb! And please keep those cookbook recommendations coming – in this case, bossy is just fine by me … I just picked up “Made in India,” which I learned about from you. Yum yum!! And David Loftus did the photos which makes it even more fab.
Thanks. Meera Sodha has a newer, all vegetarian book. And I’m also loving this Vibrant India book, also all vegetarian.
That book looks awesome, just ordered it on Amazon! Thanks for the rec :)’
Not only is Vibrant India an amazing cookbook but you must — if you will allow me to get a little bossy — purchase some of her Indian pickles (or aachar as we call it) from Brooklyn Delhi (https://brooklyndelhi.com/). They go with everything, and I am now at a point where I can not imagine a meal without them. This is not paid advertising; I just happen to love those pickles.
Thanks for the book recommend–I’ll definitely be checking it out!
I am obsessed with Brooklyn Delhi’s Tomato Achar. It is hard to find in San Francisco so I order it by the case. It is a great way to pep up Indian food that lacks heat (to accommodate younger eaters) but it is also divine on an egg sandwich!
I love when you add to what I refer to as your “stuff on toast” category. This is just what I need after two weeks in Portugal…light, saladish, and easy enough to dip my toe back in the waters of cooking.
I have everything for this — even the lemons! — leftover from Seder prep; except for mint. I have dill and parsley. What do you think? Worth a try?
Try it! Maybe use less until you’re sure you like it here. I’d go half-half with dill and parsley.
YUM! I made pickled celery last night in order to make your egg salad later today –
How well will it keep if made ahead? I find when I make egg salad ahead it often gets kind of runny. I’d love to make a batch of this to last for a couple weekday lunches.
My leftovers today weren’t runny at all, so I’d say it keeps really well.
Num! My mint overwintered, and there’s asparagus in the stores. Let’s see if I can sell my family on egg salad!
Snapper here. I find they break at different spots.
Asparagus is practically a religion in these parts. The day after Easter is a holiday in France and is celebrated with an Easter omelette, especially one with fine wild asparagus foraged in the garrigue.
Your salad sounds delicious, and I like the idea of making a tartine out of it.
This sounds like something I’d try. I’m allergic to nuts. I can’t decide if I should go for pumpkin seeds or small homemade croutons or just forget about adding anything to substitute. Any thoughts?
What about sunflower seeds?
Exactly what I’d pick (sunflower) if you’re fine with seeds but can’t eat nuts.
I’ve just come in from the garden which has little more than asparagus and mint and the promise of strawberries. Perfect timing for those of us in the south, thanks!
Deb-
I have two kids- one who will eat anything and the other who is really picky. The picky one refuses to eat eggs unless they are poached. If I eliminated the egg in the salad, could I maybe put a poached egg on top instead? Or not? Maybe I will just make it with the egg in the salad and not share with anyone :)
Yes, absolutely. The original recipe doesn’t use the eggs at all.
I think the trick is to freeze some of the brisket and then months later you can have brisket for dinner without the long cooking.
Isn’t this cookbook dreamy? When I got my hands on it from the library last year the first thing I made was the tonnato tossed with radishes. There seemed to be a moment last year when everything amazing in food was coming out of Maine, this supporting the theory. It’s such a great cookbook – so happy you’re enjoying it.
This looks absolutely scrumptious, your pictures are amazing! How do you edit your photos? What camera do you use?
Thanks — same camera and lens I’ve used for like 9 years: 5D Mark II, 50mm lens.
we called these medium-boiled eggs ‘kayısı’ (meaning apricot), in Turkey. I don’t know what you are going to with this info, but maybe you can bring this into English as maybe – apricot style eggs ;)
I am so happy to have learned this term! Thank you.
oh WOW. Your eggs are so beautiful! And you gave the best reason for buying out-of-season asparagus I heard yet!! (I have the best farmer EVER at market and his asparagus is skinny and tender from top to bottom – I never snap). I will be making this.
Also, I don’t know about science, but if you steam your eggs instead of putting them directly into water, they will always always always peel perfectly. So I put them on my veg steamer and start timing when the water under the steamer boils and put them in cold water when they’re done. This even works for the freshest eggs – I have friends with chickens and I have tested it out.
Cooking eggs this way is similar to what Cooks Illustrated suggests and then they show how to peel them by putting them in a Tupperware style bowl with a lid and the ice water they have cooled in and giving it a good shake. I tried it and it worked really well. I hate it when you peel eggs (of course it is more important when you are making deviled eggs then egg salad, but still…) and the whites get all nicked up.
The instant pot makes the dreamiest eggs. Perfect every time, and the shells slip off like an evening gown.
I love this description!
I tried it recently in my instapot and I was amazed. Something I could never do well is now fixed with another appliance on my counter!
Are your eggs room temp or cold from the fridge when you put them on the steamer basket? And are you bringing the water to a boil after you set your eggs on your basket, or is it already boiling? Help!
This looks so good. I know..it snowed in the early morning of Easter Monday. I’m tired of the snow and cold weather. My Easter flowers need a winter coat!
My partner made us his version of this tonight (which is to say looked at the ingredient list and didn’t bother with any measuring or directions) and it turned out great. The flavor profile was really wonderful. We also added some shaved Brussels sprouts that were in need of being used up and it was a nice addition.
Oh yes, thanks for sharing this seasonal recipe, I’m totally making this my dinner tonight! :)
Looks unreal. What a clever idea to combine asparagus and eggs and mint. Such complex flavors, Deb!
Looks nice and tasty :)
Deb, we had tons of roasted lamb and cherry/mint salsa leftover after Easter. Made tacos last night. With leftover halloumi and sautéed swiss chard. Just sayin. That brisket wants to be made into tacos.
And cannot wait to try this asparagus salad, I think I may add a few dashes of tarragon.
YUM!!
What a recipe! Just the colors alone GOT ME! Very SPRING! Hope you are doing well.
I am an asparagus snapper. I don’t mind tossing the woody bits into the compost container because that is ultimately going to enrich our garden soil.
I will try the hot method of making cooked eggs, but to me the key is not using super-fresh eggs. Eggs that have been around for a while peel more easily, always.
Lol. Too much brisket. We made a Moroccan Lamb Stew and third day, oy, but still so good. Onto the egg salad here! I love zest and all the ingredients.
Thanks for the book recommend–I’ll definitely be checking it out!
So agree re grating Parmesan on a microplane. It’s a relief to see this endorsed in public.
Wait, so what do you use then? Do you shave it?
I use the grating side of my regular old box grater. I agree with Deb & Margy, microplaning Parmesan doesn’t give the same volume or texture. It’s good if you just want a hint on top of something, but not if you really want the heft of good Parm in your dish.
I cut parm into chunks and whiz them in the food processor, using the regular blade, not a grating disk, a la Ina. It will give you fine crumbs of cheese. Great for processing a large amount at once.
I do both of the above; food processor for large amounts (and the crumbly shape would be good here) and the second-smallest holes on my box grater most of the time (did so here too). You *can* use a microplane, but definitely use more than 1/2 a cup. I can’t remember which recipe it was but there was one in the last year where I realized that many people who felt it wasn’t cheesy enough were microplaning their parmesan (and it was like 2 to 3 tablespoons, which is barely a microplane wisp). Of course we are talking about the Microplane rasp here, the most popular one. I have them in several shapes with larger holes too. I might have a grater problem.
I weigh the parm and then microplane it. I love the light airy texture… Best of both world – enough to parm with a fluffy blanket of cheese to coat…
I have everything needed for this recipe, including the mint! My lunch for today! Not sure the asparagus will be tasty unless blanched slightly. Will taste test before committing. Thanks, as always for your great veggie ideas.
Did I miss the picture of the kiddos?
Oops! I forgot.
What would you think about adding some herb filled mayo to the mixture? I don’t love the yolk part of hard boiled eggs, a pathetic leftover from childhood. But I can eat egg salad with mayo of any kind. Maybe I could disguise the yolk taste! Because the rest of it sounds divine and spring-like.
You can just skip the eggs. The original recipe doesn’t contain them, I added it.
Great! Have a happy Passover!
I’m heartened to see such a good-looking, Passover-friendly recipe on this week’s blog. I know this isn’t an explicitly Jewish/kosher food blog, but it’s amazing to see a fresh recipe that’s kosher for Passover-friendly so that those of us who observe can switch things up from the usual meat/starch onslaught this time of year. Thanks for the inspiration!
So excited to see more people singing the praises of this incredible book, which I practically sleep with under my pillow, I love it so much. (Is that nerdy?) I completely agree about not waiting on the asparagus anymore. I can’t take the NY weather. But—do you have a secret for getting rid of the sand?? I gave up buying market asaparagus last spring because no matter what I did—rinsing, soaking, rinsing upside down—couldn’t stop the sand. Is there a secret?
I haven’t experienced too much sand, but in general, I am a fan of plunging in cold water and pumping up and down several times for lettuce; for asparagus, I’d run my fingers back and over the tips until I knew they were grit-free. Then, of course, don’t drain the water, but scoop the greens/asparagus out, not touching the bottom where the sand has landed when you do.
Question on the brisket–Is there a point when something can’t be frozen b/c it’s too old? Didn’t seem to me that three days was all that much. I freeze stuff that’s been around that long, but now I’m wondering if I’m making a mistake.
I’m not sure, definitely not a food scientist, but on day three of leftovers mine was already 2+ days older because I made it earlier in the week. (Brisket tastes better after a rest.) It always takes a day to defrost in the fridge, too.
Sometimes when im freezing the last of a large amount of meat, i mark how many days it will be good yet when I freeze it. Use it accordingly. About day 6 is last i would freeze it so it can be eaten the next day. Cooked meat usually always lasts a week.
Isn’t the entire cookbook so inspiring? You have to eat at Tusk and/or Ava Gene’s the next time you’re in Portland if you haven’t been already (or even if you have!)
This looks and sounds lovely
Love that there is no mayonnaise
That is how a local cafe here in so cal makes hers and I love how the soft eggs create the creaminess
Thanks for the asparagus, mint, lemon zest, walnut aspect of it!
Hi Deb,
Thank you for this lovely looking recipe.
Have you tried steaming eggs? Once I tried it I never went back to boiling them. Steamed eggs come out perfect every time and peel easily.
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/04/steamed-hard-boiled-eggs-recipe.html
You’ve mentioned that you’d like to visit Los Angeles. Will it tip the scales if I tell you that our farmers markets currently have asparagus?
You don’t even have to tip the scales — I’d go in a heartbeat. I don’t steam or InstantPot or anything else eggs because this method has always worked for me, and it’s so simple to just boil a pot of water.
Question – do the asparaus have to be blanched? I thought you dont get the full nutrients of asparagus unless its cooked?
I don’t know anything about this, to be honest.
Lucky me, asparagus is booming in my garden right now! Made it for lunch today. Fabulous!!
Deb! Were you peeking in my fridge? Your brisket problem is on par with my ham problem so I was delighted to find this recipe in my inbox. My husband is allergic to nuts so we skipped the walnuts and I didn’t have mint so I substituted dill. It was delicious on toast with a little bit of chopped ham. When I make this again I will probably only do three eggs vs four but your cooking instructions were spot on and my yolks looked just like yours! Thanks again for the inspiration :)
Deb,
You are crazy good with all your recipes. But the best part are the Comments, I can’t skip those (still shaking my head.)
Thanks again.
Actually, I’m right there with you on nuts and microplane grater! So, unpopularity has some company. It’s due for a comeback.
Deb, if you haven’t tried yet you must cook your eggs in the Instant Pot!!! Put the eggs on that little wire rack thingy it comes with and add a cup of water to the bottom. 3 minutes on ‘less’ in the egg cycle (or I’m sure you could just do manual), quick pressure release and into an ice bath/cold water because I don’t have an ice maker. Life changing! No more exploding eggs that I didn’t lower carefully enough into the boiling water, no more water boiling over on my glass top oven making me crazy trying to clean it after, no more babysitting the exact level of simmering so my eggs don’t end up over/under cooked. Perfect eggs every time with no babysitting AND they are a stinking dream to peel after. Love it!!! Can’t wait to try this recipe, looks so yummy as per usual! Thanks :)
I made this last night as the asparagus are perfect in the UK right now and I’m trying to learn to cook more vegetarian food (my new boyfriend is vegetarian and I’m from Texas, so, enough said.) I’ve always loved SK for how you use beautiful produce and everything from scratch but have found myself visiting the blog even more now. This salad was perfect and just what I needed.
We made this with the thinnest asparagus stalks of the bunch, but I forgot about the boiling eggs (because, kids, too) and just ended up mashing it all together with the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, parm, walnuts, and mint. Delicious on toast.
Very nice recipe; delicious.
Just bought Six Season!!!!! So excited!
Just made this since I had everything on hand including already cooked eggs!
I liked it! Halved the recipe since it was just me and my husband, but would make again for a party or lunch or brunch. I love things “on toast”!
I know this is heresy, but I’m not an asparagus appreciator. Deb can you recommend a different vegetable I might sub in?
Green beans, cooked for 2 minutes, tops. Plunged into cold water and sliced.
I love asparagus but mine had gone bad… green beans were indeed a great substitute, with the right heft!
This is wonderful. I subbed pecans for walnuts. 8.5 minutes wasn’t enough to make the yolks jammy, but the runny yolks ended up contributing to the dressing. Next time I would boil the eggs longer to ensure a harder yolk. Great on toast with a little mayo.
I had both leftover hard-boiled eggs and leftover asparagus from our Easter dinner, so this was a perfect way to use them both! I let the salad sit overnight in the fridge, and I think I preferred it that way, as the asparagus softened slightly and the flavors had a chance to marry. This was hearty but still zingy and fresh; it felt healthy but not abstemious–ideal for spring!
Yum! Just made this recipe exactly as written…delicious! Added a smidge more parmesan but otherwise perfect with a side of toasted country loaf.
And, BTW, I will NEVER make eggs any other way!!! Made eggs the other night (cold eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and chill) and they were impossible to peel. Tonight, no issue at all.
You are absolutely right about using a micro plane to grate parmesan cheese. I have to keep adding it over and over again when I am eating in order to taste it.
I made this and my fiance kept saying, over and over, “Wow. This is amazing. The flavors just work SO well here. We should make this all the time. Wow.” I have never seen him so effusive about anything other than a chocolate cake. This recipe is a keeper, for sure!
This was sooo good.
Six Seasons completely rocks my world. My friend and I have had several dinner parties where we cook 5-8 dishes from the book and none of the recipes have turned out to be a dud. Three stand out recipes were the colcannon with watercress butter (my eight year old said it’s the “best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth”); the beet salad with pistachio butter; and the radish/tonnato salad. The kale sauce with pasta is also shockingly simple, easy and delicious. Now I’m salivating. . .
Eggs, Asparagus, Mint, Parm, Nuts, Acid, Olive Oil, gangs all here! I worked on Six Seasons with Joshua, and love seeing your version of this recipes. Can’t wait to make over and over again.
Oh, hi! I love your IG. :)
I just made this, but I didn’t have parsley or mint, and my walnuts smelled expired, so I didn’t use any of those things. (I added some dill but I don’t think it was enough to make any difference.) Maybe it would be better if I hadn’t skipped so many flavorful things, but it was delicious anyhow! Definitely adding this to the spring rotation. Thanks, Deb!
I made this tonight. Really delicious! I could have used more mint, more asparagus, less cheese. (I grated my cheese in the Cuisinart with regular blade, so it’s not very fluffy. Next time I’ll use a grater and stay with the 1/4 cup specified). My asparagus is not as vibrant green as yours – probably due to the lemon juice. For a pretty presentation I’ll hold the lemon juice and mint until just before serving.
Still. DALISHUS.
This is so delicious — I love how fresh and different these flavors are together! I served mine over plain bulgur which worked well, and just had to slip an extra egg in there too. And I have to agree about the whole Microplane business as well — I keep trying to make it work, thinking I must somehow be alone in my struggle, so thanks for coming clean! 😉
I think the olive oil could be scaled back quite a bit. When I taste tested before adding the olive oil, I liked it already. After adding the oil, it turned into a slippery, flavor muted salad. I think I’d like this better with other raw veggies – fresh spring peas, shaved brussel sprouts…Raw asparagus isn’t my thing, it turns out, but I loved the flavor combo of toasted walnuts + mint + lemon.
Hope I’m not a total dummy. You don’t cook the asparagus at all?
No. It’s a raw salad.
I was searching for the same answer! So glad you asked this :)
This recipe is absolutely divine! I had some left over mint and this inspired me to do this recipe. It was the perfect combo with my husband’s freshly prepared bread. Sunday lunch was a hit! I must admit that I didn’t know that you can eat asparagus raw but they have this wonderful nutty flavor. Will definitely make this again and again! Thanks for posting this recipe Deb!
Despite my all-out faith in the SK recipes, I admit I had a little hesitation with the raw asparagus element and the amount of mint. (I’m not a huge mint fan.) I hang my head in shame. This is bright and delicious, and makes me hopeful spring will arrive in temperature in NYC soon. (At least we have sunshine today . . . before potential snow tonight.) I paired this with the farro (minus tomatoes) from One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes (https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/07/one-pan-farro-with-tomatoes/) and am a very happy camper, even mixing the two together for a leftover room-temperature lunch today.
Great! I used a mixture of peppermint (not my favorite for savory dishes, but what I have growing), tarragon, and marjoram. The tarragon and marjoram were great in this.
I have leftover roasted fennel in the fridge… Do you think it would be an okay addition?
A great idea for sandwiches, I will definitely test at my home today.
Hi Deb thank you.. Can’t wait to try this healthy and delicious.. You’ve done well !!
Oh yes, thanks for sharing this seasonal recipe, I’m totally making this my dinner tonight! :)
Spring in a bowl! I love it!
This is absolutely delicious–the kind of egg salad I’d have at some sort of cool deli and then talk about forever. Now it can be mine whenever! We had leftover green beans–also raw–and I threw them in along with the asparagus. It was great.
Thanks, Deb!
I made this last night and put it on toast. Not only did it come together so quickly, but it was exactly the refreshing “can we please pretend it is actually spring weather outside” meal I’ve been looking for! Thanks for this and the cookbook recommendation – yours need some company on the shelf :)
Made these yesterday for dinner and really liked it. But I did blanch the asparagus a bit. Not too crazy about uncooked asparagus. Also, next time I would probably do less lemon juice and use tarragon instead of mint.
SO yummy! I made it for dinner- it’s fresh, delicious, and easy to make. Extra points for teaching me the right way to boil eggs :-)
I just finished eating this for dinner (on a split baguette) and it is fantastic! I made a double batch so I can eat it again tomorrow. My boyfriend underboiled the eggs because he didn’t realize they were for egg salad so we had to (gasp) microwave them (just enough to firm the yolks and luckily not into rubber-egg territory); despite this hitch, it tastes awesome and I will be making this again for sure!
Oh my gosh, this tastes like pure springtime!
Peppermint? Spearmint?
Spearmint is typically the type to use if a recipe just says “mint leaves”
Such a good idea, and so yummy! I mixed mine with some warm farro, perfect dinner.
I just made this and it is delicious! Love white asparagus and have been very reluctant about green asparagus but now I will have to buy the green kind more often! This will be my spring salad recipe!
This was to die for! So delicious and not all that hard for the amount of flavor produced. Made it for my mother-in-law and husband and they both loved it too. I’ve never had asparagus prepared this way and it’s definitely going in the rotation.
Just made a very loose version of this and it was great! I didn’t have all of the ingredients (quite shameful of me since they’re all quite basic), but I was raging hungry and had asparagus and eggs so decided to give it a go anyways. Of course I recommend everyone follow your recipe because it is sure to be sublime, but here are my modifications: no walnuts, olive oil, or mint. Only about a tablespoon of Parmesan. Even with all this missing it was a tasty, filling supper that I would make again in a heartbeat! Ate it straight out of the bowl. Can’t wait to try it properly in the future, I imagine it would absolutely sing.
I made this last night because I desperately needed a change after three dinners in a row that consisted of beef (burger, bbq brisket sandwich, steak au poivre) and fries. It was a perfect light spring meal, accompanied by a few slices of baguette with cultured butter. I’m tempted to make a second batch to use up the rest of the mint.
I made this tonight. In general I liked it (especially the lemoniness and the soft yolks) but the raw asparagus didn’t do it for me. In small quantities it might be okay but I made this as the meal. I’ll make it again, but next time I’ll steam or roast the asparagus, make a sauce out of the rest of the ingredients, and top it with the eggs. Yum!
Brisket. never. gets. old. lol. But this option looks delicious as well in case we’re out of brisket. :p
I made this! It was delicious both day of and the day after. Boiled the eggs only 8 minutes and should have given them another 30 seconds, but I was just too hungry! :) Second day I heaped it onto some fresh greens, gave it an extra drizzle of olive oil, and it was just a perfect lunch. Lovely!
This is SOOO beautiful, Deb! *insert heart eyes emoji* I adore fresh mint but am forever boggled by where to use it. This salad is a great starting point.
I grow mint every year and mostly use the leaves to make tea! It tastes amazing and much more fresh than using dried leaves.
Didn’t have walnuts, so used Trader Joe’s chili lime cashews instead. So, so good. The time suggested for cooking eggs worked perfectly. The suggestion of tasting before adding mint, oil and eggs spot on. More is better. Thanks Deb for this deliciousness on its own or on toast.
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I happened to make a variant of this salad based on the Six Seasons recipe for a snap pea/egg/new potato salad, which uses sardines rather than parmesan as the primary source of salty punchiness. I prefer the snap pea + new potato combination because it feels more substantial and filling than just asparagus. But after trying it with sardines, I think parmesan will be more up my alley.
Both the lemon and mint are great here.
I don’t even have the words to describe how delicious this was! Made it a few weeks ago with some leftover hardboiled Easter eggs and it was light, fresh, and flavorful. What a great recipe!
subbed pecans for walnuts since my backyard tree hooks me up. It was delicious. Defintely in the rotation during spring asparagus season.
I just made this for lunch – halved the recipie and added a few bits of crumbled bacon. It is fantastic – will be in rotation till the asparagus are out of season!
The nuts: chop, then toast, or toast, then chop?
I don’t think it really matters, but I chopped mine after toasting because it’s easier to get whole nuts off the baking sheet.
I used pre chopped walnuts and tgey toasted perfectly
Does this hold well? This sounds amazing but as a single person I always worry about a recipe’s ability to be refrigerated and eaten for several days.
We ate it for 3 days and I believe my mom ate it for 2. It kept just fine.
Other folks seemed to like it just as well the next day; I personally found it wasn’t nearly as fresh and tasty. If it was me, I would want to make only the amount that would be eaten that day.
This was SO GOOD. I sauteed the asparagus for a few minutes in butter beforehand, just because mine was a week old and might not have tasted as good raw. Otherwise this recipe is perfect.
Made this for dinner last night – really good! The only changes I made were a quick blanch of the asparagus and dried mint instead of fresh. Easy summery meal. Looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch. Thanks Deb!
I made this and it was delicious! I had only pecorino romano cheese on hand so I used that and the finished dish really had a bite, but we loved it. I’m making it again tonight!
just lovely!
This was WONDERFUL. Loved it. Just made it for one….moi…and had it for a light supper. Am doing low carb and had it over kelp “noodles” (the ones that look like they are made from glass). That worked well, but I think it would be killer over some dressed Bibb lettuce.
So tasty. Every ingredient adds a different flavor component. Was surprised how great the walnuts were in this….and the egg. So yummy
Is there a trick to slicing my asparagus on a sharp angle? I first made the 6 seasons recipe and tried cutting at a sharp angle, failed miserably and it STILL took a long time. What trick am I missing to make this less tedious and keep me out of the ER?
I thnk you are making it more complicated than it needs to be. Just lay down 5-7 stalks of asparagus at a time all touching each other (with the tough bottoms already trimmed or broken off ) and cut the whole bunch with the knife at a 45 degree angle left to right….and do that along the length of the bunch at 1 1/2 inch intervals. You should get 4 to 5 1 1/2 pieces that way.
Easy peasy. Good luck.
This sounds fab! Is there anything that could replace the parmesan that is dairy free? I think for lunch this sounds perfect!
Cheers
Perisha
I think you could skip it here; there’s enough else going on.
This combination is delicious. I use the recipe as more of a template and use whatever green herb I have, for example green garlic or scallions instead of mint and parsley. The ingredients don’t need measuring so I increase the proportiom of eggs if I need a more substantial meal.
I made this recipe for a picnic, and served it on crostini. The flavors are outrageous. This is an exceptional recipe. Thank you so much!
Is there anything you can substitute for the cheese? Preferably a simple natural ingredient rather than a fake cheese product?
Is fresh grated parmesean a fake cheese product??
Not following the fake cheese part, but you can skip the cheese here, there’s enough else going on that it will still be great.
I’d guess you’re confusing green-can “sprinkle cheese” with the freshly grated parmesan cheese that’s called for here.
What a pretty color they are. And the mint sounds so refreshing.
Summer perfection!
Wondered what was good to go in my south central Texas garden for lunch today. Asparagus✅ Mint✅ Walnuts..no. But native Texas pecans in freezer that grow in the Colorado River bottom across the road ✅ Eggs (yard eggs) from my friend✅ Other ingredients ✅. On, of course, toasted Texas Toast! Thank you, Smitten Kitchen!
This was absolutely lovely! I used almonds instead of walnuts (based on what’s in the pantry), and cilantro instead of mint because I like it and we had it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Made it today. Loved it!
This was excellent. Only change is that I added another egg (mine were small) and swapped in toasted sunflower seeds for the walnuts.
Eggs were perfectly cooked.
I sort of eyeballed the olive oil and probably used a touch too much. But love being able to eat asparagus raw.
This is amazing. I ate the whole bowl. Asparagus and mint, who knew? Too bad there’s none for lunch tomorrow!
Love your ever changing site, your many wonderful recipes, great photos of your food. I had just cooked a beef brisket in my slow cooker last weekend, Then cruising around your site I found your recipe for asparagus & egg salad. It was a match made in heaven! We have daily farmer’s markets, year around … practically next door … so fresh veggies are always readily available. Baby asparagus is one of my favs, so I followed your lead and made your salad and as you suggested, used the brisket on the side. Thanks so much for your continually updated site and all your wonderful ideas. I’ll be back and back and back!
Aloha ~~~ Nancy On Maui
I fell in love with you when I read “I believe in toasting nuts any time you’re going to use them, …”
I totally agree. Makes a big difference in good way.
Some of my friends or coworkers just throw the nuts in the bowl right out of the bag and they have the unmitigated gall to think I am anal-retentive when I even suggest or want to toast them! THANK YOU!
Another Smitten Kitchen win! It’s 2020 quarantine, so we had to make do with a few substitutions — chives, pistachios and feta — and it was amazing. Fantastic on lightly buttered, toasted wheat sourdough.
Wow this is good! Just made it with a tweak of browned butter instead of olive oil. Will make again and again!
This is so damn good. Just made it for the first time and It’ll definitely be on regular rotation.
I just made a single-serving version on toast for lunch and may just eat it every day this week till I use up the Easter eggs. So delicious!
WOW, this is delicious! I made it for lunch on fresh baked sourdough and I had zero complaints. I didn’t have mint so I garnished with some chiffonade basil and it was delicious. Great recipe!
I miraculously had almost everything on hand for this, and made it last night with the following tweaks: swapped toasted pecans for the walnuts, subbed orange zest for the lemon zest (but used an already zested lemon for the juice), and added chopped chives in addition to the mint. I spooned it over the remnants of a cubed almost-stale sourdough miche from Shewolf and had it panzanella style with a couple more glugs of olive oil.
Deb, this is KILLER!!!!! Perfect spring-y, simple, sunny dinner for weird times.
I made this and I’m clearly in the minority but I didn’t love the addition of the eggs. Just the raw asparagus salad was great when I tasted it, but after the eggs were added I just didn’t love the combination. This might also be because 8.5 minutes for me made the eggs still slightly runny- not my favorite texture for eggs in a salad. If anyone has any doubts, feel free to stick to the salad without the eggs and it’ll turn out zingy and great alone (as McFadden apparently intended)
I started making this only to realize I’d run out of walnuts and Parmesan, so I added some anchovies and toasted bread crumbs and a little chopped red onion and it was still very good.
Made this as written with 2 adjustments, to change from a salad to a hot meal:
1. cooked 1/2# of pasta (orichette)
2. tossed the sliced asparagus into the pasta water for the last 30-45 seconds
Mixed the pasta and asparagus with everything else. Done.
I made this as tacos since the only bread I had in the house was soft flour tortillas. Omg SO good! Thanks Deb!
So you say you don’t *love* asparagus? No one really does. PERFECT. Even if you just *like* asparagus, you’re going to really enjoy this recipe. It’s got it all. Stick it on toast, eat it while standing hovered over the bowl, maybe add some pasta on day 2 – you do you. I’m a fan and will make this again!
I made this then put it on top of pizza dough and pesto and baked it in the oven for an asparagus pesto pizza. For going wildly off script, this recipe really flexed to this treatment. I really enjoy how riffable and flexible a lot of Smitten Kitchen recipes turn out to be.
I want you to know I absolutely love your recipes! I have made quite a few of them, not just once but many times to rave reviews! I copy and send many of your recipes to my friends whom enjoy them also. Thank you so much for the variety of dishes and the pure love and joy you show in creating these dishes!
When I was recuperating from surgery with my daughter made many of the recipes from the Six Seasons cookbook, they were all delicious! This was not one of the ones she made so I’m very happy to see it here and will definitely be making it. Thanks for sharing!
Had asparagus and mint I really wanted to use up, as well as everything else the recipe specified in the house, so this became lunch today. As I eat in on gluten-free matzo (granddaughter diagnosed with celiac led us to discovery of Yehuda brand gluten-free matzo which everyone who tries it likes better than traditional!) I have to say Deb has once again given us a winner. Such a delicious mix of flavors and textures, the mint and asparagus together with the Parmesan and lemon zest — just wow!
What do you think, cilantro instead of mint?
Would be delicious
This is just an awesome way to prepare and consume asparagus! Thank you so much for enlightening us!
Nom! Nom! Made this tonight with fresh asparagus and a friend’s eggs, and our mint and threw in some pea shoots from our garden. Absolutely fantastic on some sourdough bread. What a treat, thank you!
Tasty! After reading some reviews I decided to blanch the asparagus. It was still really good but I think the raw thinly sliced asparagus was the right call. I also used pecorino because I had it. I used the vegetable peeler to get long thin strips and I just cut them up a bit.
My eggs were pretty much perfect at 8.5 minutes.
I spooned this over toasted pumpernickel and it worked really well!
I haven’t been so excited about a recipe in all my life!! I never knew asparagus could be eaten raw and this recipe blew my mind!! I shared it with multiple friends telling them they all MUST try it. I made it without the eggs and ate leftovers over a bed of greens for several days. DELICIOUS!!!!
“Asparagus-snapping truthers” bwahaha! Thank you for including this recipe in your newsletter! It’s been a few years since I’ve made it and I’m stoked to make it again.
This is an interesting take on a classic Belgian dish of hard boiled eggs, spring asparagus, and melted butter
Delicious. Fresh, minty and oh, so refreshingly healthy for Spring recipe. Loved the raw asparagus- don’t skip the mint.