20 Minute Cold Chopped Asparagus Salad
Crunchy, flavourful and totally addictive, this cold asparagus salad is lavished with seasoned panko crumbs, fried capers and a delicious garlic vinaigrette. It’s a salad that feels special enough for guests and it comes together in just 20 minutes with 7 ingredients plus dressing! Vegan, gluten free option, adapted from Joshua MacFadden’s Six Seasons Cookbook.
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus trimmed and cut into roughly 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces
- ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs regular or gluten free
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- zest of half a lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly cracked pepper
- ½ cup almonds chopped
- ½ cup mint thinly sliced or torn
- ¼ cup capers patted dry
- avocado oil for frying capers
- 1 recipe garlic vinaigrette
Instructions
- Start by blanching the asparagus: Fill a medium bowl halfway with cold water and add some ice. Set aside. Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Place asparagus in the boiling water until tender crisp. 1 minute for pencil thin asparagus, up to 2 minutes for thicker stalks.
- Remove the blanched asparagus to the ice water and let chill until ready to use.
- Next, toast your panko: heat a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add crumbs and stir constantly until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Place crumbs in a small bowl and stir in nutritional yeast, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Then, fry the capers. Wipe out the skillet you just used, place it back on medium heat with about a tablespoon of oil. When hot (drop a caper in and when it sizzles, you're ready!) add the capers and let them sizzle until they appear to bloom and get golden, about 2-3 minutes. Remove to a piece of paper towel to drain.
- Toss drain asparagus thoroughly and place in a salad bowl. Add chopped almonds, mint, seasoned panko and capers and toss. Serve salad with garlic vinaigrette on the side.
Video
Notes
Want to make this a complete meal? Double the garlic vinaigrette recipe and then use half of the dressing to marinate a can of white beans or chickpeas (drain and rinse first!) while you make the rest of the salad. Then toss with the rest of the ingredients just before serving!