I simply love asparagus, and being from the North of Europe, I grew up with white asparagus.  White asparagus have grown underground and have been kept out of the light, while the other varieties (Green and Purple Asparagus) did see the light of day, giving them their respective green and purple colour.

Up north in Europe, we’re used to the white asparagus at stores and supermarkets, while further down, towards Italy and Sicily, green asparagus are a lot more commonly available. Once in a while there are some supermarkets here in Malta that stock the white ones too, but this year, we have not been very lucky. Purple asparagus are more of a trend product, I have yet to find them here at my local green grocers.

The difference between green and white asparagus is noticeable too – the green asparagus do not have the more delicate flavour as the white ones do, aside from (clearly) the colour of these veggies.  The green ones available to me are usually also a bit thinner than the thick whites, so you may need to keep this in mind when choosing your asparagus portions.

So let’s start cooking!

Ingredients

• Salmon, 1 Portion per Person
• Green Asparagus, 8-10 asparagus
• Cous Cous – or Quinoa & Bulgur if you prefer
• Garlic & Herb butter
• Coconut oil for grilling
• Pepper & Salt for seasoning

Method

Remove any sand or dust from your asparagus.  If they are thin asparagus (like mine here in Malta), you don’t really need to peel them like with the white asparagus. Just cut off any of the wood-like hard(er) bottom of the stalks, if present.

Prepare your Couscous or Quinoa & Bulgur as you usually would.

Preheat your grill pan for medium heat, and brush on some coconut oil. This will ensure that the salmon will not stick to your grill pan, and will seal in all it’s taste and flavour.

When the pan is medium hot, place the salmon on the hot grill. Season with Salt & Pepper as desired.  Cook on one side for about 6-8 minutes.  Then turn the fish over on the other side for the same amount of time.

Place the asparagus on the hot grill and season with salt & Pepper.  Asparagus only need 3 to 5 minutes on the grill to be crispy tender.  I added on some garlic and herb butter for extra flavour.

Place your asparagus on the plate next to the cous cous, and add the salmon on top of this.   Serve hot and steaming!