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Asparagus with Lime and Mint

Posted by Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic on Mar 29, 2009

Filed under Gluten-Free, Low Carb, Seasonal Favorites: Spring, Vegetable, Vegetarian

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Please welcome guest author Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic. ~Elise

As a child I despised the asparagus my mother served. It was steamed to a dreadfully pathetic wilt and tasted, I assumed, no better than the old grass clippings trapped in the blades of the lawn mower. Only until I decided to overcome my own fear of these precocious green stalks did I come to fully appreciate them. Now every spring I prepare them the same way - lightly sauteed in a bit of oil, salt and peppered, and then a good squeeze of lime juice over them to give them a bit of spark. Plus these have an ear pleasing snap when you bite into them.

It was Elise who thought of tossing a bit of mint on them creating a complimentary cooling flavor. So very mojito-esque, minus the rum, of course. A delicious, easy, and fast preparation for asparagus which should always be eaten with your fingers.

Asparagus with Lime and Mint

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Ingredients

1 lb. of asparagus, trimmed
1 1/2 tablespoons of olive, sunflower, or grapeseed oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
1-2 fresh limes (yielding a total of 1 1/2 Tablespoons of juice)
1 teaspoon of fresh mint, chopped or cut in a chiffonade*

*To chiffonade mint, stack a few leaves, roll leaves up like a cigar, starting at one end, make your way down the roll, making thin slices.

Method

1 Heat the oil in a wide sauté or frying pan on medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the asparagus and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, cooking for about 5 minutes until fragrant.

2 Put on a plate and squeeze lime juice over the asparagus and sprinkle on the mint.

Serves 4.

Indexed: Asparagus

15 Comments

Ohh I adore asparagus, especially sauteed. I usually sprinkle lemon juice on if I don't use a finishing course sea salt on them. I'll have to try the lime, that sounds good, but I never thought of putting mint on it. I am mint-ignorant, but I am sure there is more than one type of mint out there. What type of mint are you using here, Garrett?

Just regular mint. ~Garrett

Posted by: Trish in MO on March 30, 2009 6:18 AM

This is delicioius but I have only used lemon juice and will try the lime, but no mint for me.

Another favorite way in my family is to cut the asparagus in about one inch pieces and cook in oil until tender, beat a couple of eggs and pour over asparagus and scramble... asparagus scramble. Salt and pepper. The number of eggs used depends on how much asparagus you use.

Posted by: Georgia on March 30, 2009 6:56 AM

Mmmm. Spring asparagus. Spring lamb. Spring strawberries. Girls in their spring dresses. Love it. Have you ever tried roasted asparagus? So delicious and easy. I use a large metal 9 x 13 (or 15 inch) pan lined with parchment paper. Spread them in the pan, then sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pop in the oven at 400 F for 15 to 20 minutes flipping them over half way thorough. Remove from the oven and squeeze a lemon (Meyer lemon, if possible) over them. I eat them warm with some mayo that I've cut with lemon juice and lots of freshly ground pepper. Tastes like spring.

Love roasted asparagus. ~Elise

Posted by: Marie M. on March 30, 2009 1:12 PM

The arrival of asparagus has always meant the coming of spring to me and the arrival of the Passover holiday because when I was a child that was when the asparagus arrived in the NYC market. I would wash and eat a stalk uncooked and to this day, many, many years later, I still sneak in an uncooked stalk or two for a snack. I cook them simply, roast them as well and they make a wonderful fritatta, sometimes with mushrooms - but I will not eat them out of season imported from another country. This particular recipe is one that I will try with the next asparagus purchase later in the week. Thanks much for it.

Posted by: Louise on March 30, 2009 1:15 PM

Great simple recipe. I would add one improvement. Instead of sauteeing the asparagus, lightly brush with the olive oil and season with S & P. Grill the asparagus over an open flame for about 6 minutes, turning frequently. Finish with the lime and mint. Grilling the asapargus adds a great texture and slight charred flavor.

Posted by: Aloha Chef on March 30, 2009 1:18 PM

Fabulous! Never would have thought of this pairing...I finally planted mint last year - was afraid it would take over my garden like it did my grandma's. I learned a secret to keep it from spreading though. Crack out the bottom of a terracotta pot and sink it down in your flowerbed. Plant your mint in it and it can't spread like normal! Thanks for the recipe!

Posted by: Katie on March 30, 2009 1:45 PM

I made this tonight on the bbq, and tossed in some garlic as well. I put lime, mint, garlic, coarse salt, and olive oil on the asparagus and wrapped it in tinfoil, then grilled it on the bbq for 5 minutes. Delicious!

Posted by: Kathy on March 30, 2009 7:17 PM

I was so excited to see this recipe-- I just happened to have asparagus ready to go in the fridge and made it last night night for dinner. SO GOOD. It got me really yearning for spring. I think next time I'll give it a shot on the grill -- that's my favorite.

Posted by: Jen on March 31, 2009 9:36 AM

Or even better, toss them in a bit of Olive Oil salt & Pepper, quickly grill them over hot mesquite charcoal, and then squeeze on the citrus and toss with mint.

The only challenge is keeping the pesky stalks perpendicular to the grates, so they don't fall in the fire.

Posted by: erik_flannestad on March 31, 2009 1:58 PM

I remember the bland tastelessness of my parent’s steamed asparagus, but I too have found many lovely ways to cook it, as my husband adores it. Can't wait to try the lime & mint! Also asparagus sautéed in a balsamic reduction is quite tasty & just a little sweet.

Posted by: Parker on March 31, 2009 3:42 PM

Another winner! I never would have thought to pair mint and lime with asparagus. We roasted our asparagus and it was outstanding.

Posted by: D on April 2, 2009 7:55 AM

I actually made this one for my management crew, except I put it in my housemade thyme pizza dough and made it a calzone.

The mint was slightly lost on the palette amongst all the bread and next time I would saute the asparagus a little more tender as it doesn't get much softer in the short time the bread takes to cook. The lime came through bright and clear though.

All in all, very much a win.

Wow, you took this to new heights. Rock on. ~Garrett

Posted by: Chef Colin on April 2, 2009 5:03 PM

It was great and so tasty... Mint and lime, light and healty food.
I just suggested this to my guest for a special romantic dinner...

Posted by: Chef Iwan on April 2, 2009 11:50 PM

Turned out great. Thanks for the recipes!

Posted by: Kristin on April 3, 2009 8:34 PM

Or even better, toss them in a bit of Olive Oil salt & Pepper, quickly grill them over hot mesquite charcoal, and then squeeze on the citrus and toss with mint. The only challenge is keeping the pesky stalks perpendicular to the grates, so they don't fall in the fire.

Or you could just use some chicken wire... cut 2 sizable slabs of wire with pliers or what have you, offset them so that the lil hexagons don't match up and wire them together. It's a "grate" way of grilling without losing them precious veggies!

To everyone noting to grill or BBQ them, this recipe would be fabulous for that. Still, I am a fan of the saute pan. Less mess, quicker, and personally I don't have a BBQ. ~Garrett

Posted by: jrhather on April 9, 2009 1:04 AM

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Asparagus with Lime and Mint