Raw Asparagus Salad with Almonds & Ginger-Sesame Vinaigrette
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This Asian-inspired raw asparagus salad is vibrant, crunchy, and delicious.
In this springy raw asparagus salad, thinly sliced raw asparagus is tossed with scallions, almonds, fresh herbs, and a spicy Asian-style vinaigrette. It’s cool, crunchy, and a welcome change from the typical roasted or grilled asparagus. Instead of shaving the raw asparagus into long, thin ribbons, as it’s done in restaurants, I slice it on the bias into thin bite-sized pieces; it accomplishes the same thing and is much easier.
Serve this salad as a side dish with any Asian-flavored fish, chicken, or steak entrée. Or try adding leftover chunks of salmon, shrimp, or pulled, smoked chicken to make a more substantial dish. The salad is best made a few hours ahead of time, so plan accordingly.
What you’ll need To Make Raw Asparagus Salad
Asparagus spears that are medium to large (larger than a half-inch in diameter) are generally more tender than their thinner counterparts.
How to Make Raw Asparagus Salad
Begin by prepping the asparagus. Snap or cut off the tough ends of each asparagus spear.
Cut the asparagus on the bias into very thin slices (about 1/8-in thick), leaving the tips intact.
Next, in a mixing bowl large enough to fit all of the ingredients, make the dressing: combine the rice vinegar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and jalapeño.
Add the sliced asparagus, scallions, cilantro, mint, and sesame seeds to the bowl.
Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. 
When ready to serve, stir in the almonds and then taste and adjust seasoning (you will likely need to add more lime or rice vinegar, as the flavors mellow).
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Asparagus Salad with Almonds & Ginger-Sesame Vinaigrette
This Asian-inspired raw asparagus salad is vibrant, crunchy, and delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons Asian/toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (see note)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced (see note)
- 1½ pounds medium asparagus
- 4 scallions, finely sliced (about ½ cup)
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup fresh chopped mint
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- Salt, to taste
- ¾ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl large enough to fit all of the ingredients, make the dressing: whisk together the rice vinegar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and jalapeño.
- Snap or cut off the tough ends of each asparagus spear. Cut the asparagus on the bias into very thin slices (about ⅛-in thick), leaving the tips intact. Add the sliced asparagus to the mixing bowl and toss with the dressing. Add the scallions, cilantro, mint, and sesame seeds and toss again. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, stir in the almonds and then taste and adjust seasoning (you will likely need to add more lime or rice vinegar, as the flavors mellow).
- Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and serve cold or room temperature.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
- Note: When handling jalapeño peppers, be sure to keep your hands away from your eyes and wash your hands immediately afterwards so the juices don’t irritate your skin.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 182
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 153 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Absolutely refreshing.
This is another excellent salad Jenn, thank you. I personally love salads and I rave and rave about yours so much I have converted a lot of salad-phobes with your recipes. I added prawns to this as I had some leftover and it made such a fresh spring supper ❤️ thank you
I love every recipe of yours I’ve tried; bit this one – OMG!! So delicious!! My husband told me twice in 5 minutes that I had to add this to our regular rotation. I made it Tuesday and just finished making it again today (Friday). Thank you ♥️😋
Amazing! We stirred in chilled shrimp with the almonds….a perfect dinner. Embarrassingly, my spouse and I finished the entire salad in one meal. So good.
This recipe will definitely go into my usual rotation! I par-boiled the spears for 2 minutes and plunged into ice water after because I prefer them to be a little softer than raw. The mint is the star of the show-so don’t omit it. Wonderful taste medley!
Excellent salad that I served with General Tao’s chicken and plain rice. Recipes we will definitely have on rotation! Thanks
My family loves this recipe and I’ve made it often but this week I couldn’t find fresh asparagus so I substituted broccoli. I separated the broccoli, chopped, including very short stems, into two or three or pieces or with larger heads into four pieces. It was a definitely a success! As I can make this recipe ahead of time with asparagus or broccoli this is definitely a favorite!
This is a not-too-complicated crowd pleaser. It’s my go to for a bbq or picnic to add some flavourful flare to the spread. Each time I’ve made it, I’ve been asked for the recipe.
The trick for me to making this extra delicious, is finding the freshest thinnest asparagus I can find. One time I used some fat stalky asparagus and was surprised at how inedible it was – learn from my mistake. That said, that was the only time that it didn’t turn out amazing.
So yummy and easy to make. Definitely keeping this in regular rotation.
This was fantastic! I ended up shaving the asparagus to make it just a touch more elegant. I also made it early in the day and it was perfectly wilted by dinner time. Will slice the spears next time for ease of prep. Definitely a keeper.
Hi Jenn,
If I substituted ground ginger instead of fresh, how much would that be? Thanks for this yummy salad, perfect for summer!
Erica
You’ll need about 1/4 tsp. ground ginger. Hope you enjoy!