Asparagus Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs & Creamy Dijon Dressing
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This springy asparagus salad has all of the makings of a perfect Easter or Mother’s Day side dish.
Adapted from Jacques Pépin More Fast Food My Way (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008), this springy asparagus salad has all of the makings of a perfect Easter or Mother’s Day dish. The presentation is lovely, the components can all be made ahead of time, and the taste is divine. Serve it as a first course or a side to slow-roasted salmon or honey baked ham.
How To Make Jacques Pépin’s Asparagus Salad
Begin by hard boiling the eggs. The best way is to cover them with an inch of water and then bring to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid and let sit for 14 minutes.
Cool the eggs in an ice bath or simply run them under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Peel and finely chop the eggs and set aside.
For the asparagus, first trim off the bottom ends. Then, in a skillet large enough to hold the asparagus horizontally, bring six cups of salted water to a boil.
Boil the asparagus for 3-4 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Be careful not to overcook it — no one likes mushy asparagus.
Shock the asparagus in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and preserve the bright green color.
Make The Creamy Dijon Dressing
For the dressing, simply combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, water, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
Finally, to assemble the salad, remove the asparagus spears from the ice bath and dry on a clean dishtowel. Arrange the spears on a platter or individual plates and spoon the sauce generously over top. Sprinkle the chopped egg and chives over the sauce and serve.
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Asparagus Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs & Creamy Dijon Dressing
This springy asparagus salad has all of the makings of a perfect Easter or Mother’s Day side dish.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 3 large eggs
- 2 bunches thick asparagus spears, bottom ends trimmed
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, for garnish
For the Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Pinch salt
- A few grinds freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water by one inch. Heat over high heat until the water comes to a rapid boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover with a lid and let stand for 14 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to chill. Peel and chop the eggs and set aside.
- Bring 6 cups water and 4 teaspoons salt to a boil in a large shallow pot. Add the asparagus and cook 3-4 minutes, or until tender-crisp. While the asparagus is cooking, fill a large bowl with ice and water. Transfer the cooked asparagus to the ice bath to stop the cooking process and preserve the bright green color. When cool, remove the asparagus from the ice bath and set on a clean dish towel to dry.
- For the sauce, mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
- To serve, arrange the asparagus spears on individual plates or a platter and spoon the sauce generously over the middle of the spears. Sprinkle the chopped eggs and chives over the sauce.
- Note: The nutritional information is calculated with the assumption that between the salted water the asparagus is cooked in and the added pinch of salt, there is approximately ½ tsp. added salt in the recipe.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (5 servings)
- Calories: 225
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 356 mg
- Cholesterol: 121 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Excellent! Only substitution was Avocado oil mayo for the regular mayo. Will definitely add this to our regular rotation.
Would it be okay to chop the asparagus as well? I want to try this for kids, I don’t think they’ll be able to eat it like this 😀
Sure!
Simple and superbly delicious. This is a beautiful alternative to traditional salads and is an especially nice spring time treat for all asparagus lovers.
I served this as healthy summer breakfast at our B&B today. I topped it with a sprinkling of crispy prosciutto and few thinly sliced radishes. On the side I served Chef Jenn’s golden gazpacho. I prepared everything the day before and assembled it in the morning. I posted a photo on the Jacob Swartz House facebook page. Easy and delicious, thanks Jenn for another winner!
I’ve made this delicious salad several times and it’s always a big hit with anyone who like asparagus. It’s super simple to make and makes an impressive presentation on your table. There are never any leftovers.
Excellent! And my new go-to when I need to bring a dish somewhere because it is so easy, flavorful, and pretty. The first time I made this I couldn’t resist, ate it all myself, then had to make a second batch for dinner!
If I just want to make the asparagus a day in advance, what’s the best way to keep it? Should I dry completely and store in a covered container in the refrigerator?
Yes, that sounds like a good plan. Hope you enjoy!
Gorgeous salad and perfect for our Easter brunch. I made a large platter of this asparagus and it was completely devoured. Came together in about 10 minutes (I already had hard-boiled eggs on hand) and was absolutely delicious. Everyone raved about it!
Prepared this today for Easter brunch. Lightly grilled the asparagus last night while grilling the rest of our dinner, to save the step of blanching them. Assembled it today, super fast. I thought the dressing was a little too vinegary at first, but the richness of the chopped egg mellowed it out perfectly. Really delicious!
This is one of our favorites, so much flavor, impressive for company.
I made this for a picnic last summer and received many delighted ooohs and awwws. I am planning to make it again this week for a brunch gathering. So delicious and easy. Thanks!
Great salad! Just having it for the first time for lunch.
Do you think that this salad would keep okay if it was assembled earlier in the day for an evening meal? I plan to take a meal to a friend who is recovering from surgery and would like to include this salad as part of the meal. Thanks for all your recipe ideas! You are my go-to site whenever I need some inspiration or just want a tasty fool-proof meal.
Hi Carol, I think you could make all 3 components (the eggs, asparagus, and dressing) and assemble it right before taking it to your friend. Hope she enjoys!
Another winner…I love your recipes! I had a lot of dressing leftover. For how long will it keep in the fridge?
Hi Monica, I’d say 4 to 5 days. Glad you enjoyed!
I have had this salad before with other types of dressing but this was amazing will definitely be making this again.
What a wonderful recipe. I thought the Dijon dressing was amazing. I used the leftover on a salad the next night.
Delicious! Quick and easy and the dressing recipe is a keeper.
Made “poor man’s lobster” tonight with this asparagus and sweet potatoes as sides. This asparagus dish was BEAUTIFUL. It was as decadent as any side you could get at a high end steakhouse. Our family loved it!
Made this delicious salad using fresh asparagus and chives from the garden. Absolutely loved it. Another fabulous recipe Jenn! 😊
Hi Jenn,
I really want to make this soon because I think it would be really refreshing in this horrid heat. I might need to substitute it with something like French beans, though, given ingredient availability and was wondering what the net weight of the 2 bundles of asparagus would be so I can approximate. Would it be around 400g?
Hi Helen, you’ll need about 1 kg of asparagus. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks!!! 🙂
Delicious and a different way to enjoy asparagus. And all the ingredients were in my pantry/fridge already. Thank you Jenn!
This recipe was delicious and easy to prepare. I particularly liked the dressing. My friend, Ruth, follows Jenn’s blog and she liked this recipe too!
Thank you Jenn, I have wanted to make this for awhile now and Easter dinner was it. I followed the recipe; although, the chives were the forgotten item. The dish was well received. It was different than anything we’ve had before and looked so nice on the platter.
Saw it today. Made it tonight. Loved it!!
Was looking for something different with asparagus and your recipe just popped in my email! It was fantastic and thank you again for another great recipe!!!
We loved the asparagus with the creamy dijon dressing. I did cut up the asparagus, and even though the presentation wasn’t as sophisticated as the picture, I did like how the egg yolk made the dressing thicker. I will try this with other vegetables. Thanks again for another hit.
Can you include the nutritional value in your recipes. I would love to try some of your recipes as they look delicious, however, My sodium is restricted. Thank you for your consideration.
Hi Shirley, Most of my recipes do have nutritional information though this one did not. I’ve just added it; you can find it immediately under the recipe. Hope that helps!
Love this dish! I was looking for a new way to serve asparagus and was so pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was! Perfect as written as are all of the recipes I have tried from Jenn’s website. Thank you for showing us new ways to use ingredients and I can be confident they will turn out fantastically! Have continued to make this often and everyone that tries it is impressed.
Great recipe! Those flavors are a tasty combination. Have you tried steaming your eggs? I steam large eggs in a single layer for 12 minutes. There is no green ring and they peel much easier than boiling. I bought your book and I use it weekly! Thanks!
Glad you liked the asparagus! I can’t say I’ve ever tried steaming my eggs – I’ll have to give that method a try – thanks for the suggestion. 🙂
Life changing! I put them in an ice bath after too.
Can you make this without the egg or substitute with something else? I’m a vegetarian and will make with vegan mayo but wondering about the egg.
Hi Sandy, you could just omit the egg here; this would still be tasty with just the sauce drizzled on the asparagus. Hope you enjoy!
This is absolutely delicious as a cold luncheon when served with ham steak (soak the steak to remove some of the salt)! Yum!
Any butternut squash and chicken salad recipes?
Just wanted to clarify– are you looking for recipes that combine butternut squash and chicken salad?
Loved this!! The egg made it so creamy and decadent tasting without adding a lot of fat, and low fat mayo made this a low point side for weight watchers. Loved the flavors, that it can be prepped ahead of time, and the presentation. Thank you!
I just made this tonight to accompany the spatchcock chicken my husband grilled. The asparagus was fantastic. I am going to try your other recipes because they look fantastic. Thank you for taking the time to share!!
Hi Jenn, i am planning to serve the asparagus hard boiled egg salad at Easter dinner. Can I make the asparagus and eggs earlier in the day and just assemble them at the last minute? Thanks
Definitely! Hope everyone enjoys.
Would I be able to chop the asparagus in bite size pieces then pour the sauce and eggs over it…then toss?
Hi Maureen, That would work; it just might not look as pretty 🙂
One of my go to salads, wonderful combination and I really like the sauce.
Mmmmm – a wonderful (and lovely to look at) variation of devilled egg salad on beautiful green asparagus.
For a slightly more substantial dish, I’m thinking of adding a bit (not too much!) of diced quality ham or prosciutto to the chopped eggs or maybe a bit of crumbled bacon..
And just a thought – since we grow a lot of fresh herbs (both inside and outside – I might sprinkle a snippet (a flourish) of fresh herbs like maybe chives, parsley or dill, maybe tarragon?
Anyway – thanks a really nice spring/summer dish.
I love asparagus with hollandaise sauce so this recipe looks like a similar, simpler option for when I don’t feel like making hollandaise. Yum!
excellent alternative to the typical green salad. Love fresh asparagus!
This is soooo good. I did change the red wine vinegar for a good balsamic. The sweet, zesty flavors of balsamic & mustard are light but they dance in your mouth.
that’s beautiful.
i’m going to try this one on the weekend and thought i’d share it
http://www.alive.com/recipes/view/733/grilled_asparagus_and_spring_onions_with_miso_dipping_sauce
Oh this look so fancy! Love it!
I made this and my teenage boys gobbled it up. They supposedly don’t like veggies 🙂 Next time I’m making a double batch so I can have some.
I love, love, love this dish! I served it for Easter and it was a huge hit!
Looks delicious!
Looks great… looking forward to making it.
Can you replace the Mayo with Greek Yogurt?
Hi Amanda, I’m afraid Greek yogurt would be too tangy. I’d stick with the mayo. Sorry!
YUM!! Love this!
perfect spring luncheon dish
Yum! One of my favorite light meals is chilled asparagus, topped with a pat of butter, a squeeze of lemon, and one or two softly poached eggs (you get the effect of hollandaise, almost). Eggs and asparagus are just wonderful! I will have to make this for lunch soon, as its tough to poach an egg to bring to the office. 🙂