Source: Capital Grille

Servings/Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Method

Pre-heat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat. While grill is heating, wash the asparagus and lemon under cold running water and drain well.

To Prepare asparagus, simply take the end of the asparagus between the thumb and forefinger and bend until it breaks.  The stalk will break naturally at the point where it starts to get tough and stringy.  If the asparagus is thick-skinned, peel the skin from the spears at the thickest part (about 1 1/2 ").

In a large, clean. stainless steel bowl, combine the asparagus, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place the asparagus spears on the pre-heated grill perpendicular to the grates on the grill so that they do  not fall through the grates.

Grill the asparagus, turning frequently, until golden brown in spots and tender (approximately 3-4 minutes depending on how hot your grill is).

Using a fine grater, zest only the rich yellow portion of the lemon rind (avoid the white pith under the rind, as it will give your dish a bitter aftertaste).

Place the asparagus on a platter and sprinkle Meyer lemon zest over top of asparagus.  Serve immediately.

Buying Tips

When shopping for asparagus, choose firm stalks with tightly closed buds at the tip.  The color should be vivid with no signs of fading, and the ends should be freshly cut and not at all dried out.  If you must store them, place the cut end in 1" of water and store in the refrigerator for a maximum of 3 days.

© Barbara Deitch 2020