This recipe balances rich flavors of parmesan, prosciutto ham, and almonds with the freshness and lightness of blanched asparagus, baby arugula, lemon aioli, and fresh herbs.
Asparagus, Parmesan, and Crispy Prosciutto Salad
This recipe balances rich flavors of parmesan, prosciutto ham, and almonds with the freshness and lightness of blanched asparagus, baby arugula, lemon aioli, and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 lb giant asparagus ((regular asparagus is fine as well))
- 4 oz baby arugula, (washed and drained)
- 2 oz thinly-sliced prosciutto
- 2 oz freshly-grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, (chopped)
- ¼ cup toasted almonds, (chopped)
For the Lemon Aioli:
- ½ clove garlic, ( finely minced)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Juice of 1-2 lemons
- ¾ - 1 cup olive oil, or sunflower oil
- Salt & freshly-ground black pepper, ( to taste)
Instructions
- Cut the tough bottoms off the asparagus stalks. Peel the bottom 2” of each asparagus stalk if the stalks are large in diameter.
- Blanch the asparagus until tender in well-salted, boiling water. Immediately when the asparagus are cooked, remove them from the boiling water and cool them down under cold water or in an ice bath.
- Do not overcook the asparagus—the color should remain bright green. Remove the asparagus from cold water and drain on paper towels.
- Cut the asparagus on a diagonal bias into 1-1.5” sections and reserve for later.
- Fry your prosciutto slices in 350F oil and remove once the slices have shriveled up and are fried. Drain on paper towels.
- Prepare your lemon aioli by combining the dressing ingredients into a cup and blending with an immersion blender until the ingredients are homogenous and emulsified.
- Taste and adjust for seasoning and lemon.
- Assemble the salads by tossing together the cut asparagus, arugula, fresh herbs, and toasted almonds with enough of the lemon aioli to gently coat all the ingredients.
- Serve in bowls and top with the crispy prosciutto pieces and grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
You can also easily prepare the lemon aioli in a bowl using a whisk: Mix the egg yolk, lemon juice, salt, and Dijon mustard in the bottom of a bowl and whisk together thoroughly. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking aggressively until the ingredients have emulsified. When you first start adding the oil, pour very slowly to give the oil time to incorporate into the mixture before adding more. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
