Roasted asparagus with sea salt is my go-to side dish. Around the holidays, produce departments often have asparagus bunch on special and it makes a great accompaniment to most meals. And as an added bonus it is easy to prep ahead and doesn’t require last-minute attention making it a great dish.
This recipe calls for only a few ingredients so it is important to choose quality products. Since the seasoning for this dish comes from roasting the asparagus, use a good tasting olive oil that will enhance the essence of the vegetable and let the smoky-sweet flavors of roasting shine. While you may think that a neutral oil like vegetable, grapeseed or even avocado would be a good choice, olive oil has a bright taste to it that helps boost the other flavors. You can use regular olive oil or the more expensive extra virgin olive oil in this dish. I always have extra virgin olive oil on hand so that is what I normally use.
Kosher salt versus table salt
There is a big difference between all the kosher and sea salts available and that difference comes from how they are processed. Kosher salt has no additives and contains 53% less sodium (by volume) than table salt. This means a teaspoon of regular table salt is almost twice as salty than a teaspoon of kosher salt as well as having other minerals included. This is because the grains of table salt are small and uniform in shape so they fit together tightly. Kosher salt grains are irregular in shape and size.
I recommend Diamond Crystal Kosher salt since it is processed in such a way to produce hollow irregularly pyramid type grains. This lets the grains dissolve quickly into the food which helps you control the salt level better. Other kosher salts are produced with denser grains and this slows how fast the grains are incorporated into the food.
When roasting asparagus you are looking for tender bright green stalks still with a little crunch. Olive green limp stalks are overcooked and taste slightly sour and very earthy (not in a good way). In order to roast to the ideal time, you need to choose a bunch of asparagus that contains stalks that are roughly all the same diameter, preferably medium for good roasting. Look for a bunch that has about 20-30 stalks in it. Choose a bunch where the green color extends far down each stalk. And where the cut end is not dry. Check out the tips for nice tight spearheads that dry and not broken.
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Roasted Asparagus with Sea Salt
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: side dish, vegetable
- Method: roasting
Description
A quick and easy vegetable side fancy enough for a special occasion and Keto friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Snap the woody end off each asparagus spear by bending it near the bottom.
- Arrange the asparagus on the lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper .
- Using your hands, toss the spears to lightly coat with oil. Rearrange the asparagus spears into a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes are until the stalks are bright green and can be pierced with a skewer.
- Remove from oven and arrange on a serving dish. Serve hot or at room temperature.
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