Asparagus Salad, Japanese-Style

I really liked the method of preparing the asparagus. It was very pretty. The dressing was bland. I used 2 bunches of asparagus. I increased the toasted sesame seeds to 2 Tb and the sesame oil to 1 Tb. I added 1 tsp of Bragg's Amino Acids, 1 tsp of maple syrup and 1/2 tsp of chili paste. For my palate this tasted good. I used Anne's tip of not cutting off the tips and using them to hold the stalk while peeling. This works well. Thank you so much for the inspiration, Mark!

This was not good. Made on May 21, 2023. Don’t make again.

Very bland. Red pepper flakes kind of helped, needed something.

I steamed the asparagus stalks after shaving for 6 minutes when using a thicker stalk

Holds up very well for a second day. And, yes, it does need a little more flavor and visual zing - more sesame seeds and/or citrus zest both work.

i found my fresh, super tender very thick purple spears, fresh from the garden, to be delicious in this salad. however, I thought they were best when blanched very briefly (one to two minutes). improves color and texture.

Not sure I will do the peeling work for a raw salad again, but I will try the dressing (doubled) and seeds on roasted, grilled, or blanched asparagus again. As a raw salad, adding some baby radishes cut in thin half moons was a bonus.

Don't hold the asparagus, lay the spear down on a flat surface while you peel and it won't break.

Question: how long can this sit? Should you prep it just before serving so it doesn't get soggy, or can it sit in the fridge or out for a while?

Used thin spears because they were freshest. Instead of peeling/slicing, I shocked the whole spears, let air dry, chilled, then tossed with sauce. Made double recipe of sauce and added some extra toasted sesame seeds. Delicious, pretty, and big hit with friends.

This was a hit at Easter dinner. So simple! A bit time-consuming to peel each stalk, but it was worth it.

Thanks for the idea to remove the tips after shaving - gives you something to grip! I blanched the tips, otherwise followed the recipe. Easy, delicious and beautiful.

I used this same ribboning technique with a dijon mustard-vinaigrette instead. Excellent. Also, re slicing, I had success making thin slices–very, very, very carefully– using a mandoline.

Great combination of textures, and particularly good if you can find thick spears rather than the tougher pencil-thin ones. Grate an orange or lemon over the top. Increase sesame seeds to 1 1/2 Tbsp, and make it a mix of black and white seeds. I added gomasio, but togarashi might be best with its peppery flavor.

Helpful hint: before chopping off the flower bud tips, use them to hold the stalk while you do the peeling. Nice to have something to hold onto. If they break off, oh well, you are going to do that anyway. double the dressing. I added a few red pepper flakes for zing.