It’s That Simple is our series about recipes so easy, you can make them with your eyes closed. Think tiny ingredient lists, laid-back techniques, and results so delicious you’ll text home about them.
Last year, I had the idea to make a raw smashed asparagus salad, a recipe I knew would be a hit. During my weekly meeting with food director Chris Morocco, I shared my concept, ready to be met with awe and applause. Sadly, Chris shot it down faster than I could finish the thought, saying, “Raw asparagus sounds bad.”
Determined to get the recipe approved, I brought up the idea every few months. A full year later, Chris caved and let me try it. With a bunch of asparagus in hand, I marched into the Test Kitchen, whipped up a salad, and had everyone taste. After one bite, Chris looked shocked. “This salad is a revelation,” he said. (And it was with out-of-season stalks too!)
Smashing vegetables softens their raw, fibrous bite and breaks down their structure. We’ve seen this with pai huang gua or Chinese cucumber salad, green beans, and even zucchini. The technique tenderizes an otherwise tough veggie and creates a roughed-up texture with plenty of nooks and crannies for dressing to get trapped in.
With asparagus, the king of fibrous spring veggies, it really works. Start by trimming the tough, dry ends off the bunch and chop them into little logs. Throw the pieces into a zip-top bag along with lemon (juice and slices), olive oil, a minced shallot, some Parmesan, and salt and pepper. Close the bag, then use a rolling pin or skillet and smash the asparagus until it breaks down into irregular bits. Get your anger out (it feels good) but don’t go too crazy. You want the pieces to be roughly one-inch large. Any smaller and you risk a riced consistency—tasty, but not what we’re going for here.
As it rests in the fridge, the lemon softens the woodsy asparagus into tender submission. It’s not unlike ceviche, made vegetarian. Now the salad is ready to be toted off—you can just leave it in the marinating bag—to potlucks, beach picnics, and dinner parties, with no dishes left behind.
When ready to serve, I like to top it off with more Parmesan, but you can dress it up or down however you like. Chopped nuts would add nice crunch. Dried or fresh fruit would bring welcome sweetness. Grilled chicken would turn it into a full meal.
And to get it out of my system once and for all: I told you so, Chris!
