LOOOOOOOOOOVVVE asparagus! Steamed, roasted - with a breadcrumb gremolata sprinkled on top. Local won’t start here for several weeks, I believe.
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The crunchy little heads are the best!
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I am a liberal user of the salt and pepper grinders on my counter when cooking. I agree that bit of crunchiness is essential.
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Mom makes a pretty good asparagus soup when we’ve over-purchased and some is in danger of losing its snap.
There’s a local Italian restaurant that has this on its appetizer menu . . . a must-order.
I actually love the smoked salt from Maldon for very simple veggie preparations like streamed asparagus. (And it’s british! So obviously you must have some on hand… )
Baked (roasted) in the oven in a cast iron pan with olive oil, garlic, then parmesan at the end. Roasted/steamed/boiled then with a fried egg, salt and pepper and parmesan. Although when it’s in season so amazing in soups or strata or quiche, or baked with salmon.
The most popular preparation in restaurants by far seems to be parmesan/breadcrumb crusted, fried briefly and topped with lump crab meat.
I like a variety of preparations
roasted with olive oil, s&p, whole garlic, splash of balsamic
vinaigrette with diced egg, red pepper, red onion
butter, breadcrumbs …
I also more recently started eating them steamed with nothing
on them, my current favorite
Last week I attempted to make hollandaise in the microwave 
What I got was more of a bright yellow lemony mayonnaise type something … sounds
gross, but don’t knock it till you try it … we ended up dipping room temp spears into
it and it was very good
Sauce looks thicker than it was in picture, it was what was leftover and had congealed
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Nope. But I do have to hand Halen Mon (which translates from the Welsh as “Anglesey Salt” - Ynys Mon being Welsh for the island’s name.
We were on the island for dinner only last week when my dessert used a salted caramel made with Helen Mon salt.
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I’ve let myself down this year, looks like I’ve already missed 2 weeks of the English season. After last year’s washout I’ve been conditioned to expect it later.
Not been into a big supermarket for a few weeks so no idea how their supplies are doing, but the local market stall had bundles of purple for £1.50 which seemed a bargain this early and in London. Their green stuff was Spanish I think.
I often just cook it hot over a cast iron griddle so it’s a little charred, but I just had my first of the season in an omlette for a change, there should be plenty more to come.
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It is usually later. The “official” start of the season is tomorrow - St George’s Day - but I wouldnt expect significant stocks for another couple of weeks.
The English stuff in the supermarkets is pretty much all from the Chinn family farms in Herefordshire who, I think, have developed an early ripening variety (or they grow it in poly tunnels). They also have a late crop available in September/October. It’ll be getting on for the end of May before I get my teeth round Cheshire grown asparagus.
September/October, wow.
Their website says “We harvest asparagus from March to July, and September to October”. That’s quite a season. I wonder where one can find the late variety - have you seen it for sale anywhere?
Marks & Spencer is going to be the best bet for the autumn crop. Chinn’s supply all of their British asparagus apparently
OK, I’m officially excited now.
My companion in life has just returned from M & S with some Chinn’s asparagus. Not just green grass but PURPLE grass. I’ve never heard of purple asparagus before, let alone seen it (your mention of it excepted).
Fucking expensive, though. £2 per 100g.
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You probably don’t want to eat it raw so do cook it as briefly as possible. The colour will change.
Thanks for the tip. And, you’re right, I’m not keen on it raw. It’s OK very thinly sliced into a salad but I’d rather cook it.
Can’t say I knew of purple until I bought 3 bunches of it this morning. Delicious though, only one bunch remains.
Asparagus Season has not hit SE MI yet. 
We are in asparagus season in Los Angeles now. I like the thin ones for grilling, and the fat ones for poaching in butter.
I always peel the fat asparagus. And if I see nice asparagus at the markets, I buy a few bunches, then blanch and shock them. They keep in the fridge nicely.
