Chef John's Shaved Asparagus Salad

When you shave asparagus thin with a peeler and give it a quick curing/pickling in the mustard dressing, the harsh attributes mellow out substantially, and the sweet, grassy flavor comes through. In fact, it was so delicious that I contemplated serving it without the fried meat. Happily, that passed.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 20 mins
• Calories: 169 Calories

Ingredients

• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, or more to taste
• 24 large asparagus spears
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, or as needed
• 4 ounces pastrami, sliced into thin strips

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Whisk vinegar and mustard together in a mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking rapidly until the dressing is thick and creamy.

Step 2

Hold an asparagus stalk at the stem, tip pointing away from you, on a work surface. Shave ribbons of asparagus off of the stalk with a vegetable peeler, moving the peeler from the stem-end to the tip. Repeat with remaining asparagus. Transfer asparagus strips to a bowl.

Step 3

Sprinkle salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper over asparagus; drizzle dressing over the top and toss to coat. Let sit until asparagus wilts slightly, 2 to 4 minutes.

Step 4

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir pastrami in hot oil until almost crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 5

Divide asparagus salad between four plates and top with pastrami.