Raw Asparagus Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan

Get a fresh and tasty jump on your day with this raw fresh asparagus salad. Perfect as a side or a main, it’s pops with vibrant flavor and crunch, while bringing in warm vibes from nutty parmesan, toasty garlic bread crumbs and warm toasted walnuts. Yum! Lucky for us, asparagus can be found all year long.

Course All Recipes, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American, Vegetarian

Keyword Asparagus Salad, Cold Asparagus Salad, Raw Asparagus Salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Servings 4

Calories 340kcal

Author Tami Steggell

Ingredients

Honey Mustard Dressing

1-2 tbs creamy dijon mustard 15-30g
2 tbs honey 42g
2 tbs fresh lemon juice (30ml), juice of a whole lemon
Pinch kosher or Redmond real salt
⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil 30ml

The Toasted Bread Crumbs

2 pieces stale sourdough bread to yield 1.5 cups lightly packed fresh crumbs (140g)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 30g
¼ teaspoon kosher salt or Redmond Real Salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

The Salad

½ cup walnuts (45g)finely chopped
1 ½ lb. asparagus (675g) sliced diagonally, tough bottoms trimmed off
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano (30g) grated

Instructions

Prepare the Dressing: Add all the ingredients to a mason jar, secure the lid, shake until blended.
Make the crumbs: Place day-old “stale” sourdough bread in the food processor or blander and whiz until coarsely fine. Measure out 1.5 cups of crumbs. Heat plain bread crumbs in a skillet until toasty, about 3-5 minutes. Add the 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and ground garlic powder and continue to toast over medium to low heat. Stir occasionally until golden brown, about 10 minutes total. Yeilds about 105g or 1 ½ cups of finished crumbs. Use only ⅓ cup for the salad and save the rest for soups and salads. Optional: you can add ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper to the bread crumbs when you add the olive oil for a little spicy bump.
Toast the walnuts: Place the walnuts in a medium sized skillet over low heat. Allow the walnuts to toast slowly while you prepare the other ingredients. Remove walnut from the heat when they look and smell toasted. You can chop them on a cutting board or give them a quick whiz in a small food processor. Note: a half cup of walnut halves yields about ⅓ cup when finely chopped.
The asparagus: Remove the tough white bottoms, typically about 1”-2” off the bottom. This part is very fibrous, like straw, and quite flavorless. Using a sharp knife, slice the asparagus thinly and diagonally on the bias. The finished result should yield about one pound of cut fresh asparagus (450g).
Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the asparagus, walnuts, toasted crumbs, parmesan, and prepared salad dressing, toss and plate up, garnish an extra squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Tasty!

Notes

You can use Dubliner Cheese in place of Parmigiano Reggiano.
You can swap out the breadcrumbs for boiled whole wheat berries.
I often add cut up cocktail or English cucumbers for an extra pop of fresh crunch.
If you like you can also garnish with finely chopped grilled bacon for an extra flavor profile.
For a little spicy kick, add a ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper to the breadcrumbs while toasting, right after adding the olive oil.