Asparagus Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs & Creamy Dijon Dressing
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This springy asparagus salad has all of the makings of a perfect Easter or Mother’s Day side dish.
Adapted from Jacques Pépin More Fast Food My Way (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008), this springy asparagus salad has all of the makings of a perfect Easter or Mother’s Day dish. The presentation is lovely, the components can all be made ahead of time, and the taste is divine. Serve it as a first course or a side to slow-roasted salmon or honey baked ham.
How To Make Jacques Pépin’s Asparagus Salad
Begin by hard boiling the eggs. The best way is to cover them with an inch of water and then bring to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid and let sit for 14 minutes.
Cool the eggs in an ice bath or simply run them under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Peel and finely chop the eggs and set aside.
For the asparagus, first trim off the bottom ends. Then, in a skillet large enough to hold the asparagus horizontally, bring six cups of salted water to a boil.
Boil the asparagus for 3-4 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Be careful not to overcook it — no one likes mushy asparagus.
Shock the asparagus in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and preserve the bright green color.
Make The Creamy Dijon Dressing
For the dressing, simply combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, water, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
Finally, to assemble the salad, remove the asparagus spears from the ice bath and dry on a clean dishtowel. Arrange the spears on a platter or individual plates and spoon the sauce generously over top. Sprinkle the chopped egg and chives over the sauce and serve.
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Asparagus Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs & Creamy Dijon Dressing
This springy asparagus salad has all of the makings of a perfect Easter or Mother’s Day side dish.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 3 large eggs
- 2 bunches thick asparagus spears, bottom ends trimmed
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, for garnish
For the Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Pinch salt
- A few grinds freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water by one inch. Heat over high heat until the water comes to a rapid boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover with a lid and let stand for 14 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to chill. Peel and chop the eggs and set aside.
- Bring 6 cups water and 4 teaspoons salt to a boil in a large shallow pot. Add the asparagus and cook 3-4 minutes, or until tender-crisp. While the asparagus is cooking, fill a large bowl with ice and water. Transfer the cooked asparagus to the ice bath to stop the cooking process and preserve the bright green color. When cool, remove the asparagus from the ice bath and set on a clean dish towel to dry.
- For the sauce, mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
- To serve, arrange the asparagus spears on individual plates or a platter and spoon the sauce generously over the middle of the spears. Sprinkle the chopped eggs and chives over the sauce.
- Note: The nutritional information is calculated with the assumption that between the salted water the asparagus is cooked in and the added pinch of salt, there is approximately ½ tsp. added salt in the recipe.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (5 servings)
- Calories: 225
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 356 mg
- Cholesterol: 121 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.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Any butternut squash and chicken salad recipes?
Just wanted to clarify– are you looking for recipes that combine butternut squash and chicken salad?
Loved this!! The egg made it so creamy and decadent tasting without adding a lot of fat, and low fat mayo made this a low point side for weight watchers. Loved the flavors, that it can be prepped ahead of time, and the presentation. Thank you!
I just made this tonight to accompany the spatchcock chicken my husband grilled. The asparagus was fantastic. I am going to try your other recipes because they look fantastic. Thank you for taking the time to share!!
Hi Jenn, i am planning to serve the asparagus hard boiled egg salad at Easter dinner. Can I make the asparagus and eggs earlier in the day and just assemble them at the last minute? Thanks
Definitely! Hope everyone enjoys.
Would I be able to chop the asparagus in bite size pieces then pour the sauce and eggs over it…then toss?
Hi Maureen, That would work; it just might not look as pretty 🙂
One of my go to salads, wonderful combination and I really like the sauce.
Mmmmm – a wonderful (and lovely to look at) variation of devilled egg salad on beautiful green asparagus.
For a slightly more substantial dish, I’m thinking of adding a bit (not too much!) of diced quality ham or prosciutto to the chopped eggs or maybe a bit of crumbled bacon..
And just a thought – since we grow a lot of fresh herbs (both inside and outside – I might sprinkle a snippet (a flourish) of fresh herbs like maybe chives, parsley or dill, maybe tarragon?
Anyway – thanks a really nice spring/summer dish.
I love asparagus with hollandaise sauce so this recipe looks like a similar, simpler option for when I don’t feel like making hollandaise. Yum!
excellent alternative to the typical green salad. Love fresh asparagus!
This is soooo good. I did change the red wine vinegar for a good balsamic. The sweet, zesty flavors of balsamic & mustard are light but they dance in your mouth.