Fresh asparagus stars in quick-cooking, citrusy stir-fry

When everything turns green outside, I often find myself craving green on my plate as well. On a recent trip to the grocery store, I saw a fetching display of fresh asparagus. Maybe they caught my eye because I’d just come across a recipe for a citrus asparagus stirfry that I wanted to try.

Eating foods in season isn’t always possible, but when it is, it can make such a difference in availability, price and flavor. If asparagus is truly fresh from the garden, I like to eat it raw with a bit of olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

My mother grew some once and I ate them straight out of her little vegetable patch. So good.

Maybe you can find something close to that at a farmers market while there’s still time, but we are heading toward the end of this vegetable’s peak of season.

Fortunately, asparagus are available year-round, and even if grocery-store stalks might be a bit tougher, they are excellent contenders for a quick and flavorful stir-fry like this one below.

Just look for the stalks to be firm with closed tips. Thick or thin doesn’t really matter but will affect cooking times. I prefer them al dente, so they still have a little snap.

Serve the stir-fry as a healthful, quick side with your favorite protein. I found the fresh ginger, cilantro, garlic and lemon in the vegetable complement salmon beautifully.

This searing method for salmon works perfectly for me every time. The cooking time varies a bit with the thickness of the fillet. If the salmon is fresh, I enjoy eating it on the rare side.