How to Grill or Roast Asparagus

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This post will give you all the info you need to know how to grill or roast asparagus. Grilled asparagus is one of the easiest side dishes you’ll ever make. It’s also one of the most delicious side dishes you’ll ever make. Happy coincidence, that! 

The asparagus stalks are sandwiched inside a large, flat, rectangular shaped, long-handled grill basket, so that they can all easily be flipped, all at once.

My friend Bernie reminded me recently that not everyone has been cooking as long as I have, and begged me to post some basic, but delicious recipes. Grilled or Roasted Asparagus is a go-to recipe for me, especially if we’re having a grilled fish, as you see here. So, in this post, I’m not only going to tell you exactly how to roast or grill asparagus, I’m going to tell you WHY you SHOULD learn this simple cooking technique.

Why You Should Grill or Roast Asparagus

Here’s the key to what makes grilled or roasted veggies delicious: it’s the caramelization. That brown color (some call it caramelization) that you get on the outside of the veggies, is actually what makes it so yummy. It’s called the Maillard effect, and it’s quite literally a chemical reaction. And it’s not just true of asparagus. It’s true with any food.

When you brown meat, for example, you get the yummy brown bits in the bottom of the pan (in the culinary world they call that brown stuff  the fond, which means the bottom, in French, because it’s what you find in the BOTTOM of the pan after the Maillard effect has occurred!). Smart cooks use that fond  as the base of delicious sauces or pan gravies. What’s happening chemically in whatever you’re browning is that the heat of the stove causes the amino acids in the food to react with certain types of sugars in the food, thus producing new, distinct flavor compounds. And these flavor compounds taste GOOD! 

Grilled Asparagus brings this whole super easy meal together beautifully. In this picture, you can see the Maillard reaction has occurred on both the Halibut, and the asparagus.

Same thing holds true with applying heat to vegetables (or fruits). Those brown marks you see on a grilled (or roasted) veggie are where heat has created new flavor compounds. And they’re delicious! Grilling or roasting veggies intensifies and sweetens the flavor. So, don’t fear the brown marks: they’re what we’re going for. (Letting that chemical reaction go too far, however = burnt, and none of us wants that.)

So, in my book, almost any veggie’s flavor improves with roasting, or grilling, because with those methods of cooking you get the Maillard reaction going on, and things taste better. Got it? That’s why people complain about boiled food tasting gray and bland. It often does! The more moisture, the less likelihood of achieving the Maillard reaction, so the fewer new flavor compounds are created. See? It makes so much sense when you understand that! I was raised on nasty canned vegetables, as a little girl. No wonder so many people hate vegetables. Many have never had GOOD vegetables. 

An Important Rule About Roasting Veggies

Here’s a rule of thumb in regard to roasting veggies. Generally, you roast most veggies at around 400º-425º. Lightly drizzle the veggies with some olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (and I really prefer the flavor of sea salt, or kosher salt. Sea salt and kosher salt don’t have the metallic ~whang~ taste that table salt has to me.)

If your asparagus is thin, it might take 10 minutes. If it’s thick, it could take 20-25 minutes. All ovens are different, and the thickness of asparagus stalks differ. Keep an eye on things, and don’t let it go too dark. The more crowded the pan, the longer it will take, because the stalks will be more likely to steam than to brown. (Remember how moisture prevents the Maillard reaction?) So don’t overcrowd your pan, or your grill pan.

Two Important Notes on How To Select and Prepare Asparagus

Notice how the tips of these asparagus stalks are still tightly curled in? That’s what you’re looking for. They don’t appear to be opening up, or blooming.

1. When you buy asparagus, to make sure you’re getting the freshest asparagus, the tips (the top) of the asparagus should be tightly closed. If they look like they’re starting to open up and spread apart, or if they look in any way mushy, don’t buy them. They’re past their prime
2. To make sure your asparagus bottoms, (the cut end of the stalk) aren’t tough and unappetizingly woody, bend the stalk until it breaks near the bottom. Let the stem of asparagus tell you how far down you need to cut it to avoid toughness.

You can save those woody ends if you like in a ziplock bag in the freezer, for making a vegetable stock. I keep meaning to do this, but I never have. 😀

If you’d like the recipe for the beautiful Grilled Halibut with Cilantro-Lime butter you see pictured above (and that cilantro-butter is a flavor bomb of delciousness!) you’ll find it here.

Chemistry and food science class is over. Enough with the blah-blah. On with the super simple recipe! 

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Yield: 4 servings

How to Grill or Roast Asparagus

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How to Grill or Roast Asparagus: this recipe tells you how to prepare the most simple and delicious of side dishes!

Ingredients

• One bunch of asparagus
• 1 T. Olive Oil (more or less)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. To prepare asparagus, break off the tough woody ends.
2. Place asparagus in a bowl, and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle generously with sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

To Roast Asparagus

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Place prepared asparagus stems on a baking sheet.
3. Roast for approximately 15 or 20 minutes (up to 25 minutes for thick stalks), keeping an eye on their color, beginning around 10 minutes in. (Also use your sense of smell: your nose will tell you when they are ready, also.)
4. OR

To Grill Asparagus

1. Place stems on a long-handled wire grilling rack (this makes it super easy to flip all the stalks at once). Grill 2-3 minutes, per side.

Notes

At the bottom of this recipe, I'll link some products I think you'll find helpful, including a long handled wire basket that is perfect for grilling asparagus, or fish, or shrimp, or other veggies. Whatever you'd like to flip over in one fell swoop.

The olive oil I've linked is an affordable, but highly rated olive oil, in terms of quality and flavor. Yes, I research these things. And yes, some companies do sell olive oil that is counterfeit. There's a black market out there on olive oil, believe it for not. The olive oil you use shouldn't be older than a year old. We go through bottles and bottles of it quickly, but if you don't, olive oil DOES oxidize, meaning, it goes rancid, within a year. You need to use it up! Don't save it for special occasions.

I'll also link some good quality rimmed baking sheets, in case yours are old and warped. These are what I use, and they don't warp. 🙂

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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  Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet (2 Pack), Silver
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  California Olive Ranch 16.9 OZ (Pack of 1)

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