Recipe | Asparagus with berry salsa

Grandad would turn up after a day out at Whanganui armed with kai he’d gathered from his favourite markets and shops. During the late spring and summer, he’d call in at the farmgate stall on Mingaroa Road on the way home and pick up a few bunches of the freshest, sweetest asparagus. ‘Here’s some asparagrass for ya,’ he’d say. ‘You won’t get it any fresher than that!’

Here’s a simple way to take asparagus to new heights, with a zesty berry salsa and salty feta. It’s lip-smackingly good, and incredibly moreish.

Serves 6 as a side

Ingredients

2 bunches asparagus (about 16–20 spears)

2 handfuls mesclun salad leaves

100g feta

grapes or fresh berries to garnish (optional)

For the salsa

250g strawberries, hulled and diced

½ large, or 1 small red onion, finely diced

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup fresh or canned boysenberries, roughly mashed with a fork

⅓ cup pomegranate seeds (optional)

juice of 1 lime or lemon

1 tbsp pure maple syrup, or runny honey

small bunch fresh coriander, chopped

¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Method

Put all salsa ingredients in a bowl, mix together and leave to sit for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to combine. Taste and add more salt if necessary. 

Chop or snap off the woody bottoms of the asparagus spears, and cut the spears in half. 

Blanch the asparagus by cooking in a large saucepan of boiling water for 1–2 minutes, until fork tender. Remove and plunge into cold water, drain and set aside.

Arrange the mesclun salad leaves over the base of a serving platter, and top with the asparagus. 

Crumble over the feta, and spoon over most of the salsa, reserving some to be served on the side.

Top with grapes or fresh berries if desired.

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More recipes by Christall Lowe — 

Oven-cooked hāngī with native rongoā

Summer fruit galette