French Asparagus Recipe (Asparagus Mimosa)

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White Asparagus Mimosa is a classic French spring dish that highlights delicate, lightly sweet white asparagus with a lemon-caper vinaigrette topped with minced hard-boiled eggs.

I fell in love with white asparagus while living in France, as you could find it at all the market stands in the spring. Suddenly it was on the menu on every neighborhood bistro too, in a variety of preparations. What I learned fast? That white asparagus shines most when it isn’t overcomplicated. The best white asparagus recipes keep the asparagus front and center rather than masking its delicate flavor with heavy sauces.

This recipe starts with my tips for how to prep and cook white asparagus so it becomes silky and tender. Then the chopped egg and well-seasoned vinaigrette add flavor without weighing it down. If you’re looking for a white asparagus recipe that feels elegant, seasonal, and genuinely delicious, this is the one I come back to every spring.

What is White Asparagus?

White asparagus is asparagus grown without sunlight. It is not commonly grown in the United States, though you can now find it more easily than in the past. It is very popular in Europe, especially in Germany, and also in Peru. It’s sometimes known as “edible ivory” or even “white gold.” Growing white asparagus in the dark prevents photosynthesis and thereby the production of chlorophyll, which causes the green color in vegetables. White asparagus is often more expensive than its green brethren, in part because it has a unique cultivation process and is harvested completely by hand. In terms of flavor, white asparagus is more mild than green asparagus and a bit sweeter.

Why You'll Love Cooking White Asparagus

• Delicious White Asparagus Recipe: There are many ways to feature this lovely spring vegetable, including in my White Asparagus Roquefort Gratin. But this recipe featuring gently cooked asparagus topped with minced hard boiled eggs and a lemon-caper vinaigrette really shows off the mild, sweet white asparagus flavor.
• Lovely Lunch or Brunch Dish: This dish is such a delicate and elegant dish. It would be truly stunning for a special lunch or brunch.

Asparagus Mimosa Ingredients

• Asparagus: White asparagus has a mild flavor that works beautifully with this vinaigrette, but you can easily substitute green asparagus. Note that you only need to peel green asparagus if you have thick stalks. Also, green asparagus will usually not take as long to boil, so watch carefully, and test frequently to see whether they are done. Feel free to steam the white or green asparagus as well. 
• Eggs: You can leave these out if you’re looking for a vegan asparagus dish. The caper vinaigrette alone is fantastic.
• Lemon Juice/Zest: This recipe uses about one lemon’s worth of juice and zest. You can substitute lime instead or else use white wine vinegar instead of lemon juice and omit the zest. 
• Shallots: Feel free to replace the shallots with minced red or white onion, or chopped scallions. Minced chives would also be a good substitution.
• Capers: You can make this vinaigrette without the capers if you’d like, or you can replace them with chopped green olives. 

How to Cook White Asparagus

1. Rinse, then peel 2 pounds of asparagus.

2. Cut off bottom ½-inch of each stalk.

3. Bring a large skillet or saucepan of salted water to boil. The pan needs to be large enough to fit the asparagus spears.

4. Turn down heat slightly, add asparagus, and cook for 10-20 minutes, depending on the width of the asparagus stalks. You should be able to easily pierce the asparagus stalks with a knife when they are fully cooked.

5. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water. When asparagus is tender, drain carefully (or remove with tongs), and then add to bowl with ice water. After a minute or two, use tongs to remove asparagus, pat dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel, and place on a serving plate.

6. Put plate into the refrigerator to chill while you are making the eggs and vinaigrette. Keep the ice bath for the hard-boiled eggs. 

7. To hard boil your eggs, put 2 eggs in a deep saucepan and cover with an inch of water. Bring to a full rolling boil, then turn off the heat, cover saucepan, and let them sit for 10 minutes.

8. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place into the ice water bath (adding more ice if necessary). Let sit for 5 minutes. 

9. Make the vinaigrette by whisking together 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of minced shallots, 1 ½ tablespoons of chopped capers, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

10. Peel your hard cooked eggs and chop them delicately into small pieces (try not to smash together the whites and yolks).  

11. Drizzle vinaigrette over asparagus, then sprinkle with chopped eggs. This asparagus with mimosa topping deserves showing off on a pretty serving platter! 

Preparation Tips

How to Store Asparagus

As with green asparagus, white asparagus should be stored in the refrigerator. It will last at least a few days in the crisper drawer if you keep it loosely wrapped in a produce bag. To extend its shelf life, you can wrap a damp paper towel around the bottom of the stalks before putting back into the bag. In general, white asparagus generally does not keep as long as green asparagus. 

How to peel white asparagus

Unlike thin green asparagus spears, which you can eat without peeling, white asparagus always must be peeled. It has quite a fibrous outer layer that is too tough and woody to eat. Use a sharp vegetable peeler or a paring knife to peel. You will also need to cut off the woody ends of the asparagus stalks. 

French Asparagus Recipe FAQs

Other White Asparagus Recipes

Now that you're hooked on this delicious white asparagus salad, you may be looking for other white asparagus dishes. Here are some of my favorites:

• Poach in a mixture of water, butter, lemon juice, and salt
• Steam using a steamer basket and serve with Hollandaise sauce or my Truffle Aioli
• Make soup or a purée by cooking in stock and then blending
• Serve cooked stalks sliced in a salad
• Pickle it using white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
• Make a decadent cheesy gratin with this White Asparagus Roquefort Gratin
• Serve cooked stalks wrapped in serrano ham or prosciutto
• Roast in the oven at high heat
• Grill (careful not to burn the outside before the stalks are tender) 
• Use as a pizza topping, along with something salty like prosciutto or pepperoni
• Substitute them in a traditional green asparagus dish, such as in this Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Pasta

Other Delicious Spring Vegetable Dishes

I love eating seasonal vegetables—they are always so much more delicious when they come straight from the farm. And spring has some of my favorite offerings! Here are a few that I can't get enough of:

If you try this white asparagus recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!

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Asparagus Mimosa Recipe

Chef Molly Pisula

White Asparagus Mimosa is a classic French recipe that highlights delicate, lightly sweet white asparagus with a lemon-caper vinaigrette topped with minced hard-boiled eggs.

5 from 28 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Side

Cuisine French

Servings 6

Calories 180 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 pounds white asparagus
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 1 ½ tablespoons capers chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

 

1. Rinse, then peel asparagus. Cut off bottom ½-inch of each stalk.
2. Bring a large skillet or saucepan of salted water to boil. The pan should be large enough to fit the asparagus spears.
3. Turn down heat slightly, add asparagus, and cook for 10-20 minutes, depending on the width of the asparagus stalks. You should be able to easily pierce the asparagus stalks with a knife when they are fully cooked.
4. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water. When the asparagus are tender, drain carefully (or remove with tongs), and then add to bowl with ice water.
5. After a minute or two, use tongs to remove the asparagus, pat dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel, and place on a serving plate. Put plate into the refrigerator to chill while you are making the eggs and vinaigrette. Keep the ice bath for the hard-boiled eggs.
6. To hard boil your eggs, put them in a deep saucepan and cover with an inch of water.
7. Bring to a full rolling boil, then turn off the heat, cover saucepan, and let them sit for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place into the ice water bath (add more ice if necessary). Let sit for 5 minutes.
9. Make the vinaigrette by whisking together lemon juice, zest, olive oil, shallots, capers, parsley, salt, and pepper. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
10. Peel hard-boiled eggs and chop them delicately into small pieces (try not to smash together the whites and yolks).
11. Drizzle vinaigrette over asparagus, then sprinkle with chopped eggs. Serve.

Notes

If you want to make this dish ahead, White Asparagus Mimosa will keep for at least a couple of days in the refrigerator. Prepare the asparagus, eggs, and vinaigrette separately, and combine when ready to serve.

Recipe notes:

• Asparagus can be steamed instead of boiled
• Eggs can be hard-boiled using whatever technique you prefer

 

Ingredient substitutions:

• Asparagus: White asparagus has a lovely mild flavor that works beautifully with this vinaigrette, but you can easily substitute green asparagus. Green asparagus only needs to be peeled if you have thick stalks. Also, it will not take as long to boil, so watch carefully, and test frequently to see whether they are done.
• Eggs: You can leave these out if you’re looking for a vegan asparagus dish. The caper vinaigrette alone is fantastic on asparagus.
• Lemon Juice/Zest: This recipe uses about one lemon’s worth of juice and zest. You can substitute lime instead or else use white wine vinegar instead of lemon juice and omit the zest.
• Shallots: Feel free to replace the shallots with minced red or white onion, or chopped scallions. Minced chives would also be a good substitution.
• Capers: You can make this vinaigrette without the capers if you’d like, or you can replace them with chopped green olives.
• Parsley: I typically prefer flat-leaf parsley as a general rule, but curly parsley is absolutely fine.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 6gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 195mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2g

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More About Molly

Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!

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