Asparagus Salad with Shrimp Recipe

Even though the weather has been rather dreary and cold the last week or so, spring is officially here, which means it's time for asparagus. This is a quick and easy salad, made with fresh asparagus spears that have been blanched for a few minutes, thinly sliced on the diagonal, and tossed with shrimp in an olive oil, garlic, parsley, lemon juice dressing. So good!

Asparagus Salad with Shrimp Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

• Cook time: 10 minutes

1 pound asparagus, woody stem ends removed

• 1/2 pound pink salad shrimp, cooked, shelled
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced (1/2 teaspoon to 1 1/2 teaspoons, depending on how much you like fresh garlic)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (more to taste)
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1 Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus to a bowl to cool. Add the shrimp to the pot of boiling water. If they are pre-cooked, remove after 30 seconds—this is just to warm them. If the shrimp are uncooked, boil them for 2-3 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the shrimp and add them to a large bowl.
2 Slice the asparagus spears thinly on the diagonal until you get close to the tip. Cut the asparagus tips off in one piece. (They look prettier that way.) Put the asparagus in the bowl with the shrimp. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add more lemon juice if desired, to taste.