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Asparagus Pea Salad with Charred Lemon Dressing

Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time47 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: almonds, arugula, asparagus, extra virgin olive oil, feta, fresh dill, freshly ground pepper, gluten free, honey, kosher salt, lemon, Medjool dates, peas
Servings: 4 servings
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lg bunch asparagus ends snapped off, then bottoms peeled and spears cut into quarters
  • 3/4 cups frozen peas rinsed with cold water for 30 seconds in a strainer
  • 1/3 cup dill roughly chopped, reserve a tablespoon for garnish
  • 1-2 handfuls arugula ,mixed field greens could also be used
  • 3 Medjool dates pitted and chopped
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled (optional)
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds toasted (in a pan or 350 degree toaster oven until golden brown, approximately 1-2 minutes),

Dressing

  • 1 lemon seeds removed, sliced into thin rounds
  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 2 tablespoons honey your favorite kind
  • Pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cooking the Asparagus

  • Place asparagus in a large pan with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and heat over medium high. Cook asparagus for 4-5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until browned in spots and tender. Remove asparagus from the pan and transfer to a large bowl.

Making the Dressing

  • Then in the same pan (no need to wipe clean), add another 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the pan and lower the heat to medium. Transfer the lemon slices to the pan and cook for 4 minutes on one side and then flip and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, until both sides are nicely browned. Total cooking time is 6-7 minutes. (If your slices run on the thicker side, cook the lemons for an extra 1-2 minutes.)
  • Remove lemons from the pan. (Scrape all of the extra oil and brown bits that have gathered in the pan and place in the bowl you’re going to use to make the dressing.) Once lemons slices have cooled slightly, finely chopped them by hand and place them in the bowl with the extra pan drippings. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of honey, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set dressing aside while you assemble the salad. This dressing recipe can be found on GFchow.com under salad dressings.

Salad Assembly

  • Add the peas, arugula, dill, dates, and almonds to the bowl with the asparagus. (If making the salad ahead of time, hold off on adding the nuts until you’re ready to serve the salad for the best crunch.) Once ready to serve, spoon 3-4 tablespoons of the dressing into the bowl and mix ingredients with the dressing.
  • Transfer salad to a platter and crumble feta on top (if using) and top with the reserved dill, if desired.

Notes

If not using the dressing immediately, store in an air-tight container and refrigerate. Let come to room temp before using and remix.
This salad is very flexible...if you don't have (or like) dates substitute with raisins, dried cranberries or seedless grapes. If feta isn't your thing, use goat cheese or no cheese. You like almonds but don't have them in your pantry, replace with walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts or your favorite seeds. You dislike dill but love tarragon, go for it! You get the idea...