23 Recipes That Make the Most of Asparagus Season

Use a peppery, top-quality olive oil to bring out the best in this spring salad, created by Jeanne Kelly, author of Salad For Dinner. Buy really fresh asparagus and radishes, from a farmers’ market if possible—that too will make a difference.

Just as satisfying as deviled eggs, but with the added appeal of luscious aspara­gus salsa brightened with lemon juice and fennel fronds and crunchy breadcrumbs. Make a double batch and redeploy the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Sunset reader Christine Datian, of Las Vegas, sent us this indulgent and delicious pasta recipe. If you’d prefer a lighter version, you could use milk thickened with a little flour in place of the cream.

This technique cooks salmon perfectly every time. The sauce is flavorful and rich, but not heavy—just right for a weeknight.

Lighter than a quiche, this seasonal galette can be baked ahead and reheated, making it especially handy for a midweek dinner party.

The late chef Michael Chiarella told us: “A piadina is a kind of flatbread from Emilia-Romagna. The idea is crisp warm dough with a highly flavored sauce and a cool salad.” To use a gas grill, set a pizza stone on the cooking grate over high heat for at least 20 minutes, then bake right on the stone. Serve immediately.

Stracciatella means “little rags” and in this recipe refers to the appearance of the Roman egg drop soup. Don’t confuse this “Stracciatella” with the cheese or gelato flavor by the same name; this one’s all about broth. We pair the broth with macaroni, the perfect soup noodle. Plus, eggs and asparagus love each other, so they are a natural fit.

Eggs and asparagus are a perfect pair, accented with salty prosciutto, chives, and lemon.

Chicken pan juices, shallots, white wine, and tarragon become a velvety sauce when you add butter as a finishing touch.

Crisp-tipped, juicy, and tender, these spears are great with lamb or fish. Opt for fat asparagus—the spears will be tender but not mushy when the tips are crisp. Lemon zest, versus juice, gives a lot of flavor without too much acidity or moisture.

“You wouldn’t find fresh asparagus in Saigon when I was a kid,” says chef Eric Banh, co-owner with his sister, Sophie, of Seattle’s Monsoon and Ba Bar restaurants, “but it’s the kind of thing that a fancy restaurant would serve [from cans].” Now that he and Sophie live in the Pacific Northwest, where spring asparagus is sweet, juicy, and abundant, they love to use it in spring dishes–like this savory shrimp stir-fry.

Risotto is a good and simple staple to have in your recipe repertoire. Here’s a cost-saving tip: You can substitute sushi rice for pricier Arborio with the same excellent results.

An open-faced version of an egg sandwich that works as an elegant breakfast or a light dinner, served with a green salad and a glass of white wine.

Spring flavors come together in our favorite new quiche combination. The tart looks especially pretty baked in a rectangular pan, but you can use a 9-inch round tart pan instead.

The secret ingredient to this recipe is patience. By letting the meat brown slowly with minimal stirring, you get a crisp texture and caramelized flavor on each piece.

This colorful recipe is a fresh twist on the classic pasta salad. Reader Michele Wagner, who gave us the recipe, suggests serving it with grilled salmon, but it’s a nice side for any grilled meat you choose.

Sweet asparagus and spring onions go so well with the woodsy flavor of morels. All you need is a bit of butter and some crème fraîche to finish the dish.

The trick to perfect fried rice is to use cold cooked rice (like leftover takeout) and stir-fry it long enough so that each grain dries out and puffs up. As with any stir-fry, make sure all your ingredients are ready to go before you fire up the pan.

During his charcuterie apprenticeship in Switzerland, Elias Cairo of Olympia Provisions in Portland learned to make Landrauchschinken, Swiss country ham that’s cured, dipped in burnt sugar with juniper and rosemary, and smoked. He wraps slices around asparagus and grills the bundles over a wood fire—a dead-simple but phenomenally flavorful dish. It’s also good made with prosciutto and cooked over a grill—an easy idea to keep in mind for home.

For easy entertaining, set out this elegant, quick appetizer created by Sunset reader Priti Malhotra of Los Gatos, California. Serve it with a crisp wine like Sauvignon Blanc.

Although mousselike sabayon is usually eaten sweetened as a dessert, it can also be a savory sauce, as Kristen Murray, pastry chef and owner of Maurice restaurant in Portland, learned from her grandmother. She prefers thin asparagus because they’re fun to eat, like skinny fries.

A takeoff on the cook-it-yourself soup believed to have hailed from Mongolia, this hot pot combines zippy ginger broth, crisp asparagus, and slurpable noodles into a super-quick one-bowl supper.

Any sliced vegetable can be turned into tempura, but sweet asparagus at the height of spring is hard to top. Folding fluffy egg whites into the batter gives this coating its delicate crispness.