Shaved Asparagus Salad with Comté, Toasted Almonds & Fried Prosciutto
Asparagus is shaved and combined with cheese, toasted almonds and crispy fried prosciutto and then tossed with a bright olive oil and lemon dressing for an elegant salad. Best served in spring when local asparagus is prolific and at the peak of tenderness.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus (about 340 g) woody ends snapped off
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 4 thin slices prosciutto
- ½ cup Marcona almonds or regular almonds
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup shaved cheese, such as Comté, Gruyère or Parmesan
- ½ cup roughly chopped soft fresh herbs, such as mint, tarragon, parsley or a combination
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- flaky salt for serving
Instructions
- Using Y-peeler or vegetable peeler, shave asparagus into long, thin strips, transfer to large bowl and set aside.
- In 12-inch (30 cm) skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add prosciutto and cook until golden and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from skillet and place on paper towel-lined plate.
- Add almonds to pan, toss to coat in the prosciutto oil and cook, stirring frequently, until toasty and golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to cutting board, and when cool enough to touch, roughly chop nuts. Using your hands, tear prosciutto into bite-size pieces.
- Season asparagus with salt and pepper. Add half the cheese, half the nuts, half the prosciutto and half the herbs and toss with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and the lemon juice. Taste and adjust with more salt if needed. Top with remaining cheese, nuts, herbs and prosciutto.