Grilled Asparagus Salad with Green Goddess Hummus

This grilled asparagus salad is what I make the moment the first spears turn up, and it is worth firing up the BBQ early for. Charred asparagus over a herby green hummus, jammy eggs, and a crunchy lemon crumb made from the heel of a loaf that was heading for the bin. It looks like a lot more effort than it actually is, and it is on the table in 35 minutes. Let's cook!

Why This Grilled Asparagus Salad Works

• A side dish for 4, start to finish in 35 minutes, with the hummus and the crumb both finished before the asparagus goes anywhere near the heat.
• The asparagus is grilled, not boiled. High heat and a bit of char does something to asparagus that a pan of water never will, and the spears keep their bite.
• The order is the whole trick. Eggs first, hummus next, crumb after that, spears last, because asparagus is only ever at its best straight off the grill.
• Slightly al dente is always best. A minute too long and you lose the snap that makes the spears worth eating, so I pull them while there is still some resistance in the middle.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Serves: 4 as a side dish
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Blender or food processor

The order matters here more than anything else. The eggs go on first so they have time to cool enough to peel and halve without tearing, and I landed on 3 minutes from a rolling boil after testing it, which gives a properly jammy yolk and a white firm enough to peel cleanly. Then the hummus, which is a green goddess in spirit rather than a faithful one, all the coriander stalks in and no anchovy anywhere near it. The crumb comes next and will sit happily for ten minutes without going soft, the same way the herby lemon crumbs on my cheesy broccoli bake do. The asparagus is last, and after twenty years of cooking it in professional kitchens the one habit I would pass on is to dress the spears on a tray or a plate rather than in a bowl, because tossing them in a bowl can snap those beautiful tips off!

Ingredients

For the eggs:

• 3 eggs, size 5
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper, to finish

For the green goddess hummus:

• 200g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 100g Greek yoghurt
• 65g avocado, about half a ripe one
• 10g tahini
• 3 tsp lemon juice, about a third of a lemon
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt, plus black pepper
• 35g coriander, stalks and all, roots removed
• 10g chives, snipped, optional, if you have them coming up in the garden
• 5g mint leaves

For the lemony crumb:

• 50g bread, stale is better than fresh
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• A pinch of flaky sea salt

For the asparagus:

• 500g asparagus, roughly 6 spears per person, which comes to 400g once the woody ends are off
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper

You will need one lemon for the whole recipe, the juice for the hummus and the zest for the crumb.

How to Make Grilled Asparagus Salad

1. Boil the eggs: Put the eggs into a small pan of cold water and bring to the boil over high heat. Once it hits a rolling boil, cook for 3 minutes. If your eggs are size 6 or 7, add 30 seconds for each size up.
2. Cool them properly: Run the eggs under cold water for a full minute. This stops the cooking and keeps the yolks jammy. Peel gently and set aside.
3. Blend the hummus base: Put the chickpeas, yoghurt, avocado, tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
4. Add the herbs: Add the coriander and mint, and the chives if you are using them, then blend again just until it turns properly green and the herbs are through it.
5. Taste it: This is where you decide whether it wants more lemon, or more salt and pepper.
6. Toast the crumb: Tear the bread into little nuggets, slightly bigger than a chickpea. Toss them with the olive oil so they are all lightly coated, then add them to a pan over low to medium heat. Toast, turning constantly so they colour evenly. Stale bread takes about 6 minutes, fresher bread up to 15.
7. Finish the crumb: Off the heat, grate over the lemon zest and add a pinch of salt. Tip the crumb out of the pan so it stops cooking.
8. Dress the asparagus: Trim the woody ends, roughly 3cm from the bottom, then toss the spears with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Do this on a tray or a plate rather than in a bowl, because in a bowl you can easily break the beautiful tips.
9. Grill the asparagus: Grill on the BBQ over high heat, or in a large pan over high heat, until the spears have taken on some colour and are just tender. Smaller spears take about 5 minutes, larger ones up to 8. Slightly al dente is always best.
10. Build the plate: Spread the hummus over the base of a platter. Pile the asparagus on top. Halve the eggs, sit them over the asparagus and season the cut side with flaky salt and pepper. Scatter with the lemony crumb and a few extra herb leaves. Serve straight away, while the asparagus is still warm and the crumb is crisp.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It looks like a restaurant plate: Three components, three textures, and it goes together on one platter in the middle of the table. Nobody needs to know it took 35 minutes.
• It uses up the bread nobody wanted: That heel at the end of the loaf becomes the best thing on the plate, which is my favourite kind of cooking.
• Everything except the asparagus can wait: The hummus and the crumb are both happy to sit, so you are only ever cooking one thing at the last minute.
• It stretches a small amount of asparagus: Sitting the spears on hummus and topping them with eggs and crumb turns 400g of asparagus into a side for 4.
• It is properly seasonal: Spring asparagus, spring herbs, and whatever you have coming up in the garden thrown in.

Chef's Tips for Grilled Asparagus Salad

Dress the asparagus on a tray, never in a bowl: This is the tip I give every time. Tossing spears around in a bowl breaks the tips off, and the tips are the best part. Spread them out on a tray or a large plate, drizzle the oil over, season, and roll them gently with your hands.

3 minutes from a rolling boil, not from cold: The timing only works if you start counting when the water is properly boiling. Cold water start, high heat, then start the timer at the boil.

Trim, do not snap: People are taught to snap asparagus and let it break where it wants, but you lose far more of the good stuff that way. Cut roughly 3cm off the bottom with a knife and you keep more of every spear.

Get the pan properly hot before the spears go in: If the heat is not high enough the asparagus steams instead of colouring, and you end up with limp spears and no char. Hot and fast is what you are after, and you want to hear it when the asparagus hits the pan.

Keep a bag of bread ends in the freezer: I do this all year and it means there is always a crumb, a crouton or a breadcrumb topping within reach. If you like the idea, there are more ideas in my zero waste recipes from kitchen scraps collection.

Substitutions & Variations

• No coriander: Swap in flat leaf parsley, same weight. It goes a slightly different green but it works.
• No avocado: Leave it out and add another 30g of yoghurt. The hummus is looser and a little sharper, which is no bad thing.
• Dairy free: Use a plain coconut or oat yoghurt in place of the Greek yoghurt.
• No asparagus yet: Broccolini, spring onions or halved baby leeks all grill the same way and sit just as well on the hummus.
• Make it a main: Serve it with grilled chicken or a piece of fish and there will be more then enough for 2 people. 

Storage

Best eaten fresh: This is a dish to eat straight away. The asparagus is best warm and the crumb is only crunchy for the first twenty minutes or so once it is on the hummus.

Fridge: Store the components separately, never assembled. The hummus keeps 3 days in an airtight container with a little oil over the surface. The grilled asparagus keeps 2 days and is good cold. The peeled eggs keep 2 days in a covered container.

Freezer: Not recommended. The hummus splits because of the yoghurt and avocado, the asparagus turns to mush, and boiled eggs do not freeze at all.

Avoid: Do not put the crumb on until the moment you serve. Sitting on damp hummus it goes soft within minutes, and the crunch is the whole point of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cook asparagus on the BBQ? Trim the woody ends, toss the spears in olive oil and season them, then lay them straight on the grill over high heat. Smaller spears take about 5 minutes and larger ones up to 8, turning them so they colour on all sides. You want char marks and a bit of give, not floppy spears.

How long do you boil an egg for a jammy yolk? Three minutes from the moment the water reaches a rolling boil, starting the eggs in cold water, for a size 5 egg. Add 30 seconds for each size up. Then straight under cold running water for a full minute so they stop cooking and peel cleanly.

Can you make green goddess hummus without a food processor? You can, it is just more work and the texture is chunkier. Mash the chickpeas with a fork or a potato masher, chop the herbs as finely as you can and stir everything through. An immersion blender in a deep jug is the easier halfway option.

What do you serve with grilled asparagus salad? Grilled chicken is what I reach for first, and a piece of white fish or some lamb chops work just as well. It is also good next to a simple roast, or on a table of shared plates with bread for scooping the hummus.

Can you make this ahead of time? The hummus and the crumb yes, the asparagus no. Make the hummus up to 3 days ahead and the crumb a few hours ahead, keeping it in a dry container at room temperature. Grill the asparagus and assemble right before you serve.

Why is my asparagus tough? Almost always because the woody end was not trimmed off, or the spears were thick ones given the same time as thin ones. Cut 3cm off the base, and if your spears are thick give them the full 8 minutes.

Can you use tinned chickpeas for hummus? Yes, and that is exactly what this recipe uses. Drain and rinse them well, because the liquid in the tin is what makes a hummus taste tinny. A 400g tin drains down to about 240g, so one tin covers the 200g you need here with a little left over.

You Might Also Like

BBQ broccoli and romesco salad - Charred broccoli over a smoky red pepper sauce, built the same way as this one.

BBQ corn salad with avocado and tahini dressing - Another grilled vegetable salad with a creamy herb dressing underneath it.

Simple beetroot hummus - A bright pink dip for when you want a hummus with a bit of earthiness to it.

Crispy curried devilled eggs - What to do with the rest of the box of eggs.

If you want more ideas for cooking with whatever is in season right now, my seasonal vegetable recipes collection is the place to start.

Asparagus season is short, so I make the most of it while it is here, and this is the dish I come back to more than any other. It gives you char, cream, crunch and a jammy egg in one mouthful, and it costs very little to put on the table. Make the hummus once and you will find yourself spreading it under all sorts of grilled vegetables. Give it a go while the spears are still sweet.

Enjoy!

Del x

Charred spears, a herby green hummus, jammy eggs and a crunchy lemon crumb, all on one platter in 35 minutes.