Asparagus Salad with Shrimp Aioli
One of my favorite chefs of all time: Frank Stitt
Anything this guy makes is awesome. Try my adaptation of one of his salads.
Paying homage to Frank Stitt, world-renowned chef and restauranteur from Alabama, I’ve adapted a recipe of his because I found gorgeous purple asparagus in the market - in October! With a few adjustments here and there, I present you with this meal-in-itself salad.
Purple Aspargus
Gorgeous raw, looses some of it’s color blanched, but the flavor hangs out for all to enjoy.
Asparagus Salad with Shrimp Aioli
Servings: 4-6
Prep: 25 minutes
Assembly: 10 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Ingredients
1 bunch thick asparagus -break off tough ends and peel bottoms with a vegetable peeler
3 red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/4” thick rounds
1 ripe avocado, cubed
1/2 lemon
Flat leaf parsley for garnish, 1/4 cup chopped
3/4 large or jumbo cooked shrimp, tails off, cut into bite size pieces
Sherry vinaigrette (recipe below)
Garlic aioli (recipe below)
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Step 1: Prepare a pot of salted boiling water and a bowl of iced water (ice bath).
Add potatoes to boiling water and cook until al dente. Prick with a fork to check for doneness. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and put it in an ice bath. Add asparagus to the boiling water and remove after about 2-3 minutes. Add to the ice bath. Remove bother veggies from ice bath and drain. Place on paper towels to remove excess moisture. Chill.
Step 2: make the vinaigrette and aioli
Sherry Vinaigrette
1/2 shallot, finely minced
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine shallot, sherry vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper; let stand for 10 minutes
Whisk in olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Season with salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated until ready to use, up to 3 days.
Simple Aioli
Ingredients
2-3 peeled garlic cloves
3 T quality mayonnaise
3T sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Directions
Place garlic cloves in a foil pouch. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until soft and roasted
Remove garlic from foil and mash with a fork.
In a small bowl, combine garlic, mayo, and sour cream.yogurt. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate.
Step 3: Assemble the Salad
Directions
Place shrimp in a bowl and add a tablespoon of sherry vinaigrette. Toss, and season with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon of aioli, toss.
Toss asparagus with a heaping tablespoon of vinaigrette. On a salad plate assemble 4-5 spears in the center - offset them to look artistic
Gently coat the potato round in the vinaigrette and lay in concentric circles to the side of the asparagus.
Toss avocado with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Arrange on each plate in a mound to the other side of the asparagus.
Place a heaping dollop of shrimp mixture on top of the asparagus toward the ends. Crack fresh pepper over everything. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Frank Stitt
Everything’s right here. Double the recipe for leftovers.
Photo credit: author’s own.