Grilled Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan
Thick asparagus spears rolled in olive oil and grilled at high heat until the tips blister to a charred, crispy fringe and the stalks take on sweet, smoky char while remaining tender enough to snap cleanly — finished with bright lemon and nutty shaved parmesan.
Ingredients
For 4 servings · tick what is ready
Use the scaled ingredient list. Steps and temperatures stay unchanged; use a larger pan or dish if needed. Seasonings to taste stay to taste.
How to make it
Bend each asparagus spear gently near the base — it will snap naturally at the point where woody fibre gives way to tender stalk. Discard the woody ends (or use for stock). Toss the spears in olive oil until each one glistens. Season with salt. The asparagus must be dry before you add oil — any water will steam the grill grate and the spears will steam rather than char.
Place spears perpendicular to the grill grates on a very hot grill or ridged cast-iron grill pan (preheated to screaming hot). Grill without moving for 2–3 minutes until char marks develop, then roll 90 degrees and grill a further 2 minutes. The asparagus should show distinct char at the grill marks and the tips should be frizzled and blistered. Total cook time: 4–6 minutes for thick spears.
Arrange the hot spears on a serving plate. Squeeze lemon juice generously over all of them and zest the lemon directly over the top. Drape shaved parmesan ribbons over the spears while still hot so they soften slightly. Crack fresh black pepper over the top. The acid and salt of the lemon must be applied while the asparagus is still hot enough to absorb it.
About this recipe
By ForkRecipe Kitchen · Source: ForkRecipe / FoodML and contributors. Recipe content available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Serving count is an estimate; check quantities in the source recipe.