Asparagus season is fleeting and this salad makes the most of it. Charred spears bring smokiness, paired with crisp cos, golden croutons, and crunchy bacon. The creamy dressing is a bold mix of capers, brine, and leftover bacon fat, balancing salty, tangy, and rich in every bite. A true celebration of texture, seasonality, and spring’s best.
This delicious recipe was created by food writer Kylee Newton (@themodernpreserver).
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C(fan).
2. Make croutons by chopping the sourdough into small cubes, place on a bakingtray, sprinkle over about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a large pinch of sea salt. Toast in the oven, 1/3rd the way up from the bottom, for 10-12 minutes.
3. Line a small baking tray with baking paper or tin foil and lay the bacon down of it and cook in the oven, 2/3rd’s the way up, for 8-10 minutes. Chop the bacon into bits and set aside. Set aside the melted fat left on the foil for making the dressing.
4. Prepare the asparagus by chopping off the tough bottoms. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add a large pinch of sea salt once at boiling point. Drop the asparagus in for 1&½ minutes, then scoop them up and drop them straight into iced water. Scoop them out and pat them dry.
5. Place the asparagus into a shallow rectangular dish, drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of oil and roll them around to cover. Heat a griddle pan to a very high heat, place the asparagus on and char for a minute on each side. Roughly cut them into 4 pieces once cooled.Alternatively, you can grill your asparagus under the oven grill once the croutons and bacon are finished.
6. Make the dressing by crushing the cappers until they are mushy in texture. Place them in a large bowl with the mayonnaise, the caper brine, the melted bacon fat (left on the foil), and the Worcestershire sauce. Finely zest in 10-15g of the parmesan (keeping 15-20g for later) and whisk the dressing until all is combined.
7. Wash your Cos lettuce, pat dry, and roughly chop into bitesize pieces. Place into the bowl of dressing and toss using your hands. Scatter in the asparagus and bacon bits and give a gentle toss again and finish with a generous grind of black pepper and shavings from the remaining parmesan.
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