Asparagus and sous vide cooking are made for each other. In less than ten minutes you have crisp, tender and sweet asparagus. Never overcooked. Always just right.
In this recipe
-
This is how sous vide cooking works
-
Why sous vide asparagus
-
select asparagus
-
cooking time
-
use leftovers
Without a doubt, asparagus is my favorite spring and early summer vegetable. And it’s not really hard to cook but very easy to cook boil over– more on that in a moment!
Roasting and grilling asparagus certainly has its merits, but something special happens when you cook asparagus sous vide. It’s almost as if the asparagus becomes the best version of itself. It does justice to the occasion and turns into a beautiful asparagus – bright green and intensely aromatic.
How exactly does sous vide work? Well, an immersion circulator creates a constant temperature environment that ensures consistent cooking results. It’s a slow, gentle poaching that also helps food retain its moisture.
The asparagus in today’s recipe becomes tender when cooked sous vide, but is also intensely aromatic. The inherent sweetness of this vegetable comes through right away.
New to sous vide cooking? Start here!
- Everything you were wondering about sous vide cooking at home
- How to use your new sous vide immersion thermostat
- How to seal food without a vacuum sealer
- Sous vide and food safety: what you need to know
Why cook asparagus sous vide?
Asparagus is easy to cook, but also easy to overcook. There’s a very fine line between snappy and mushy!
The real benefit of sous vide with vegetables like this is that it guarantees consistent results. The asparagus becomes firmer and tastes more like asparagus than with other cooking methods.
Freshness also makes a difference in flavor when you’re cooking asparagus sous vide, so look for local, freshly picked asparagus when you can. Regionally grown asparagus simply tastes better. After sous vide cooking, it’s as if you’ve captured the most vivid snapshot of a vegetable in its prime. Except, of course, that you can eat this snap.
How to choose asparagus
If you have freshly picked asparagus in your garden, hooray! With this fresh asparagus you are guaranteed a tender and tasty sous vide experience.
When shopping at a farmer’s market or grocery store, take a look at the tips and the cut ends of the sticks. If the tops are still sealed tight and the bottoms look moist, the asparagus is fresh. If the tops appear to be blooming open and the undersides are very dry, the asparagus has started to lose moisture. Of course you can still eat it – it just doesn’t taste as good.
How long to cook asparagus sous vide?
Compared to many other sous vide recipes, asparagus cooks fairly quickly –It can be ready in 6 to 10 minutes depending on how thick the sticks are. Longer cooking times are required for denser vegetables such as potatoes and large cuts of meat.
- If your asparagus is pencil thin, cook it for 6 or 7 minutes, then check to see if it’s tender.
- Cook asparagus, which is a little thicker, for 7 or 8 minutes and then check. If a fork doesn’t go in easily, you’ll need a few more minutes.
When done, the asparagus should be bright green and tender.
Ways to use leftover asparagus
Sous vide cooked asparagus is a great use of leftovers, either on its own or in other dishes! I chopped up some of the leftover asparagus I had while testing this recipe and mixed it with some pasta, lemon zest, and pecorino cheese for a quick dinner.
You can also shred up leftover asparagus and add it to salads, or put it in an omelette, or add it to something like Elise’s Mini Muffin Frittatas. Feel free to chop up some of your favorite herbs with asparagus; I opted for plain salt and pepper, along with a lemon zest shower. And you can certainly omit the olive oil or butter, but it does add some flavor, so why not?
More sous vide recipes to try!
- How to cook potatoes sous vide
- How to cook carrots sous vide
- How to cook pork chops sous vide
- Sous Vide Teriyaki Salmon
- French sous vide dip sandwiches
How to cook asparagus sous vide
ingredients
-
1 bunch asparagusabove 1 lb
-
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
-
2 tablespoon olive oil or unsalted butter
-
zest and juice from 1 lemon
-
Sea-salt, for garnish
method
-
heat water:
Fill a pot with water and place your immersion circulator in it. Set your immersion thermostat to 180°F and allow the water to come up to temperature.
-
Prepare asparagus:
Wash the asparagus and, like a bouquet, make a fresh cut down the underside, removing any hard, woody ends.
Place the asparagus in a ziplock plastic freezer bag. Add the black pepper and olive oil; Save the salt for after cooking, as the salt will turn these green veggies a little gray. Throw them together in the bag to distribute the ingredients.
Add a few heavy soup spoons to the bag to weigh it down. This will help keep the asparagus submerged, which will ensure it cooks evenly.
-
Closing the bag:
Seal the bag as tightly as possible, using the water displacement method to force all air out. Simply place the food in the bag and slowly lower it into the water, the pressure of the water forcing air through the top of the bag. Once the air has escaped from the bag, seal it just above the waterline. (Read more here.)
You can do this in the pot of hot water – be careful if the water is already steaming!
-
Cooking asparagus:
Once the water has come up to temperature, submerge the asparagus bag in the pot of water. Make sure the bag is completely submerged (if it floats, take it out of the water and add a few more spoons to weigh it down).
* After 6 to 7 minutes, check the asparagus to see if it is pencil thin.
* Check the average or thick asparagus after 8 to 10 minutes.
If in doubt, pull out after 8 minutes, carefully open pouch and use a fork to see how soft the sticks are. If the fork gets stuck in the asparagus, it’s not done yet; Reseal the bag and soak in the water for another minute or two.
-
Surcharge:
Remove from the water, turn off the circulation pump and serve immediately. Sprinkle some lemon juice and zest over the asparagus, along with some cooking oil or butter (if desired) and some flaky sea salt, such as sea salt. B.Maldon.
Leftover asparagus will keep refrigerated for about 5 days.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 94 | calories |
| 7g | Fat |
| 8g | carbohydrates |
| 3g | protein |
