Easy Grilled asparagus recipe that makes a perfect side dish to fish or grilled meat. It can be enjoyed with appetizers and dips. Perfect for portable grills as well.
It’s early morning; I ride on the metro to work with a favorite book in hand (or kindle reader to be more accurate). It hasn’t happened for a while as I was helping our 2 year old adjust to kindergarten for nearly 2 months now.
On today’s kindle ‘menu’ I’ve got ‘No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame’’ Janet Lansbury. A fantastic read that first caught my eye while I was still pregnant. Kinder garden adaptation has been such a wild (& rewarding) ride that I needed to remind myself some basic principles of parenthood.
If you are ever in need of the same, I highly recommend checking this book – just casually throwing it out there between bunches of fresh asparagus. After all, knowing you are on your right path makes life much easier. Now, off to recipe we go.
Why we love Grilled Asparagus:
- Super Tasty
- Easy to make – practically cooks itself
- Perfect light side dish for spring & summer
- One easy weekday side
What more can we ask for, really?
HOW TO COOK THE BEST GRILLED ASPARAGUS
Asparagus is a spring ‘animal’. Meaning, its taste qualities and price are best enjoyed during springtime. When choosing your asparagus, I recommend going for the thinnest spears you can possibly find. That’s because you will cut out less from the bottom (=less waste) and your perfect grilled asparagus will stay tender on the inside once grilled. If you do not want to be wasteful, simply peel off some of the outer layers on the bottom, until you can feel tenderer inside section.
Another way to enhance the flavor of the grilled asparagus is coating it with simple oily marinate for 10 minutes before grilling. The marinate will ‘lift up’’ the flavor and tenderness of the individual spears.
Preheated grill: we use portable, apartment-friendly grill that can be used on your balcony (or any tight space for that matter). Preheating the grill before placing the marinated asparagus allows spears to get a better & quicker crispy outer layer, while preserving the inner parts tender and sweet.
HOW TO STORE ASPARAGUS IN THE FRIDGE (up to a week)
If you want to preserve asparagus fresh for longer in the fridge, one way of doing it is as follows:
- Cut off ½ inch from the bottom of the asparagus
- Place in glass jar with 2 inches of water – all bottoms should be in water
- Cover loosely with plastic bag
- Change water every day and keep in fridge up to a week
ASPARAGUS FOR KIDS & BABIES
Although our 2 year old is a good eater, he’s been reluctant to try certain foods with striking stubbornness. One of these foods was grilled asparagus. We introduced asparagus around year and a half, although experts say (see here) that babies up 8 months can also eat asparagus. We started slowly – by offering every time we grilled asparagus. Then one day, he requested to try it and that day onwards we never looked back. Now he’s eager to explore if his diaper will be ‘’green’’ and ‘’smelly’’ in the morning. It’s all become a funny game.
Easy Grilled Asparagus Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh, thin asparagus spears
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt & black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Wash asparagus under cold water. Cut off an inch (or more as needeof the bottom of asparagus spears.
- In a small mixing bowl mix olive oil, salt and pepper until well combined.
- Coat asparagus spears with marinate mix on each side and let sit for 5-10 min
- In the meantime, turn on your grill (we use portable Tefal grill). Once preheated, place asparagus on grill and cook until desired tenderness is reached.
- Turn around asparagus spears to grill on each side (approx. every 3-5 min).
Recipe Notes
How to make the best grilled asparagus
How to store asparagus in the fridge
How we introduces asparagus to our baby
This post may contain affiliate links, see full disclosure here.
