Grilled asparagus with smoked salmon, strawberries and chèvre

A colourful, flavourful and nutritious meal!

As you can likely imagine, it’s getting harder and harder to impress my taste testers as they’ve become rather accustomed to having delicious things magically appear on a regular basis. This dish, however, got a resounding and loud chorus of approval. It’s super-fast to prepare, taking less than 15 minutes although if you prefer, you can grill the asparagus ahead of time and store at room temperature for up to 6 hours. Similarly, the toppings can also be prepared ahead and refrigerated until assembly. For a vegetarian or vegan version, swap in toasted, chopped walnuts for the salmon. If you’re in North America or the UK, I recommend you take a look at the delicious sustainably-caught shelf-stable smoked salmon from Mountain Road Foods – it’s super to keep on hand for dishes like this.

Ingredients

• 1 lb (454 g) fresh asparagus (about 16 spears)
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) maple syrup
• 4 teaspoons (21 g) Dijon
• 4 ounces (110 grams) smoked salmon, broken into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) pieces
• 1 cup (135 g) sliced fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup (115 g) crumbled chèvre (or dairy-free alternative)
• 2 tablespoons (15 g) capers
• 3 tablespoons (2 g) fresh dill or chives, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to serve

Method

• Preheat barbeque grill to medium (approximately 350F). If you prefer, you can broil the asparagus or sear in a cast iron pan over medium heat, turning often.
• Snap woody ends off asparagus spears. Rinse and pat dry then place on a baking tray. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• While grill heats, whisk together maple syrup and Dijon. Set aside. Break up smoked salmon, slice strawberries, crumble chèvre, drain capers and chop dill; set aside.
• Once grill is warm, cook asparagus spears, turning frequently with tongs, until tender (about 5 – 7 minutes – more slender spears may cook more quickly).
• Arrange grilled asparagus on a serving platter or two individual plates. Top with smoked salmon and sliced strawberries. Drizzle maple syrup and Dijon over top, then scatter chèvre, capers and dill over top. Finish with a light dusting of salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as an appetizer; recipe can easily be multiplied.

Disclaimer: I was provided samples by Mountain Road Foods however, as always, all opinions expressed are my own.