Asparagus season is here so make the most of it with these delicious recipes. Photograph: Harry Weir PhotographyAsparagus is such a versatile ingredient, often overlooked, and cooked as part of a side dish or as a small part of a main dish. It is one of my favourite ingredients. It’s also incredibly nutritious and so easy to cook.
As the asparagus season is short, you are likely to see it feature a lot on restaurant menus at the same time. It works well as a dish on its own, but also with meat, fish, and other vegetables, as an accompaniment. White asparagus usually comes into season just before green asparagus, and as it is usually a little bit thicker and woodier at the bottom, it needs to be trimmed a bit more and cooked for a bit longer than green asparagus.
Asparagus can be cooked in so many different ways and every chef has their own favourite technique. One of my preferred ways to use asparagus is to salt the spears in 10 per cent salt, and vacuum seal them overnight. This allows osmosis to occur which draws out the water from the asparagus and allows the salt to internally season and soften the asparagus. After I remove it from the bag, I fry it in a little butter, garlic and lemon and serve it with pretty much any main course.