Asparagus Ribbon Salad with Crispy Chickpeas and Hot Honey
Shaving asparagus into ribbons turns it into something completely different — delicate, tender, and perfect for a big spring salad.
This asparagus ribbon salad is all about contrasts. You have silky ribbons of asparagus piled with crispy chickpeas, toasted almonds and coconut, and snappy bites of apple. A vibrant lemon olive oil dressing pulls everything together, and a drizzle of hot honey softens the lemony edge. It’s a bit of a springtime weirdo, but in a really good way.
If you’ve never shaved asparagus into ribbons, I encourage you to give it a try. The resulting tangles of asparagus are delicate, tender, and wonderful. They absorb dressing nicely, and welcome all sorts of crunchy, contrast ingredients you might have around - nuts, seeds, fried shallots, etc. That’s (basically) how we ended up with today’s recipe.
How To Make Asparagus Ribbons
Shaving raw asparagus into delicate ribbons is my favorite way to enjoy uncooked asparagus. The ribbons are delicate, becoming instantly tender when tossed with a simple lemon oil. The key here is using a Y-shaped vegetable peeler. Beyond that, a few tips:
- Buy medium-thick asparagus, thin asparagus is hard to peel into ribbons.
- Wash asparagus and snap off the thick woody ends.
- Start peeling your ribbons just below the tip of the asparagus. Rotate if needed to get as many ribbons as possible per spear. I usually have a bit left, the part that is too hard to get to with the peeler. Slice that piece (and the tip) into thin strips. Pictured below.
Place the crunchy toppings on your salad at the last minute so they retain their crispness. Enjoy! -h 
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Asparagus Ribbon Salad with Crispy Chickpeas and Hot Honey
You can use Meyer lemon here if you have one, or a regular eureka lemon. And as far as nuts go - I use almonds, but peanuts are a good alternative! This is the crispy chickpeas method I use - they’ll keep for days in an air-tight container.
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 cup whole raw almonds, preferably with skins on
- 1/3 cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound medium asparagus, trimmed
- 1 green apple, cored, cut into 1/8ths
- 1/2 cup crispy chickpeas
- 1-2 tablespoons hot honey
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Heat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Zest the lemon and set aside.
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Make the lemon oil by whisking together 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and the salt in small bowl.
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To make the toasted almond-coconut mixture, start by cutting each whole almond into halves or thirds, you want little chunks of almond. Toss the almonds, coconut flakes, and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown - 7 - 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice along the way. Toss the mixture with the reserved lemon zest once it is out of the oven, and let cool completely. Set aside
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Use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus into thin ribbons. Begin peeling your ribbons just below the tip of the asparagus. Rotate, if needed, to get as many ribbons as possible per spear. If you have a bit left, the part that is too hard to get to with the peeler, slice that piece (and the tip) into thin strips. Slice the apple wedges into 1/8-inch thick pieces.
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Combine about 2/3 of the lemon oil with the asparagus ribbons and apple in a medium bowl, toss a bit as you’re working, it will keep the apple from browning. Taste, season with a bit of salt if needed, also decide if you’d like more dressing, and if so, add it.
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To assemble your salad, pile the asparagus ribbon mixture on a family-style platter (or individual plates), top with the crispy chickpeas and almond-coconut mixture. Finish with a drizzle of hot honey, and a final kiss of salt. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
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