Dishing Up the Dirt

Roasted Asparagus with Preserved Lemon & Anchovy Relish

I think I found my new go-to condiment! Our good friends Colin and Kristen from Blue Bus Cultured Foods have started fermenting preserved lemons. They are so darn delicious and very versatile. I love how pungent, refreshing and melt in your mouth delicate they are. I was really excited to pick up a jar at the farmers market last week and experiment. This “relish” was a true accidental home-run experiment in the kitchen. The flavors of the lemon, anchovies, garlic and parsley make up the components of  a really flavorful relish. And piled on top of the asparagus was the perfect way to enjoy it.  I actually cooked the relish right along with the asparagus which was nice because the garlic mellowed out, the anchovies got crispy and the lemons were warm and tender. You could easily pile the relish on afterwards but I actually love how the flavors mellowed as everything cooked together. This is a great seasonal recipe to help you celebrate the early spring bounty and I hope you all love it as much as we do. All of you Gorge friends and Portland area folks, you can find Blue Bus Cultured Foods at New Season’s and in Hood River most of our grocery stores and the farmers market. If you live outside the area you can find preserved lemons at specialty grocery stores, online or you can make your own! There’s lots of recipes out there!

Cheers to all the wonderful flavors of the spring harvest!

Roasted Asparagus with Preserved Lemon & Anchovy Relish

Prep Time: 5 minutes    Cook Time: 25 minutes    Serves: 4

Relish
  • 1 wedge of a preserved lemon (equal to 1/4 of a lemon) rinsed under cold water to remove excess salt and finely chopped
  • 2 stalks of green garlic, minced (white and pale green parts only) or you can sub 2 large cloves of garlic
  • 6 anchovy filets, finely chopped
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
Asparagus
  • 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
  • olive oil
  • Pinch of fine sea salt

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  2. In a medium sized bowl toss together the chopped preserved lemon, minced garlic, anchovies, crushed red pepper flakes and parsley. Drizzle the mixture in the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. You can add a pinch of flakey sea salt, but the anchovies and lemon are already pretty salty so do so only if you feel it's needing it.
  3. Spread the asparagus out on a rimmed  baking sheet. Toss in a little olive oil and lightly season with sea salt. Spread the relish on top of the asparagus and give everything a good toss. Place in the oven and roast until the asparagus is lightly browned and the anchovies crisp up a bit, about 20-25 minutes.
  4. Remove from the oven and eat straight up off the baking sheet!

Notes

Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary


Leave a Reply

3 thoughts on “Roasted Asparagus with Preserved Lemon & Anchovy Relish

  1. Janessa Warkentin says:

    This sounds amazing! I’ve got a couple jars of preserved lemons fermenting right now, and am always looking for new ways to use them. Thanks!

  2. BLAYNEY says:

    made the relish and roasted salad turnips and greens with it-delicious, especially the greens which soaked up the relish…home run! Bet it’s good on cardboard.

    1. Andrea says:

      love it!

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