Chargrilled Asparagus & Avocado Salad
Asparagus is in season at the moment and is at its best – it is so versatile and suits warm dishes, as well as bright summer salads. This salad features spicy prawns and avocado as well and is simply delicious.
Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Croissant Croutons
2 (160 g) croissants, chopped
2 tbsp (30 ml/12 g) Pecorino cheese, finely grated
2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil
2 tsp (10 ml) garlic, finely chopped
Caramelised Onion and Yoghurt Dressing
2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil
1 (180 g) onion, chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) brown sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp (5 ml) rosemary, finely chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) Dijon mustard
2 tsp (10 ml) lemon juice
1 ½ C (375 ml) plain yoghurt
salt and pepper
Spicy Prawns
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
2 Tbsp (30 ml) panko crumbs
2 tsp (10 ml) cake flour
2 tsp (10 ml) curry powder
1 kg prawns, shelled and deveined
oil, for shallow frying
Salad
500 g asparagus
1 (240 g) avocado
a drizzle of olive oil
½ (90 g) red onion, thinly sliced
35 g basil leaves
handful of micro herbs, for garnish
Croissant Croutons
Preheat the oven to 190 °C.
Toss the chopped croissants, cheese, olive oil and garlic together and season lightly. Spread out on a baking tray and bake for 6-8 minutes until golden and crisp.
Caramelised Onion and Yoghurt Dressing
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and brown sugar and sauté gently for 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and rosemary and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add the mixture to a food processor and add the mustard, lemon juice and yoghurt. Purée until smooth and season to taste.
Spicy Prawns
Mix the olive oil, panko crumbs, cake flour and curry powder together; add the prawns, season with salt and pepper and toss together to coat. Heat the oil for shallow frying in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, fry the prawns in 2 batches for 3-4 minutes until golden and cooked through. Drain on kitchen towel.
Salad
Prepare the asparagus by cutting off approximately 2 cm off the stems to remove the woody bits. If you find that the outer layer of the asparagus is still a bit tough after you’ve removed the woody bits, then use a vegetable peeler to peel off the outer layer, leaving the top third unpeeled).
Heat a griddle pan until hot. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the asparagus and fry for 2-3 minutes until lightly charred and tender.
To Assemble
Toss the asparagus, avocado, red onion, basil leaves and croutons together. Scatter the prawns and micro herbs on top and serve with the dressing on the side.
Tip: If you are a cheese lover and would like to add some to the salad then use buffalo Mozzarella, Ricotta or finely grated Pecorino.

Asparagus plants will grow optimally in an open, sunny spot, with some shading. Ensure that your soil is healthy and well drained to grow nutritious plants packed with vitamin K, folate, copper, selenium, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
Recipe by Illanique van Aswegen