The Baltimore Farmer’s Market was beaming with pride as the stalls opened for the season on Sunday morning, and it has good reason to be prideful. It was recently voted #1 Farmer’s Market in the nation by Country Living.
Since it was 7:00 am after a long night out I was appropriately armed with coffee, sun glasses, and hippy-ass reusable tote bags. Asparagus has been in the forefront of my thoughts since eating a memorably crisp asparagus salad at Woodberry Kitchen. When I saw a pile of garden-fresh spears I couldn’t resist getting a few bundles for the week as well as my fair share of blue kale, foraged mushrooms, spinach, organic quail eggs, ramps, and a multitude of other goodies.
It is going to be a wonderfully food-filled week.
Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Quail Eggs utilizes many of the seasonal ingredients I scored at the market. It’s only lightly seasoned to give the ingredients the stage. Fresh tarragon is laced throughout and the yolk from the gently fried quail eggs acts as a creamy dressing. Prepare all of the steps ahead of time in order to serve this salad warm to the table.
Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Quail Eggs
Ingredients
1 bundle of asparagus (about 15 spears), left whole to grill
5 young ramps (wild leeks), left whole to grill
2 cups pea shoots
1/2 cup fresh tarragon leaves, stripped off the stem and left whole
4 organic quail eggs
1/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons tarragon vinegar
1 teaspoon raw honey
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Wash and thoroughly dry the asparagus, pea shoots, tarragon, and ramps. Mix 1 teaspoon olive oil, tarragon vinegar, raw honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat grill pan to medium high heat. Drizzle asparagus and ramps with 1 teaspoon olive oil, salt and pepper to lightly coat. First, gently wilt the ramps in the grill pan to create grill marks; about 1 minute each side. Remove the ramps to a cutting board. Add the asparagus to the grill pan in a single layer; grill each side for about 1 to 2 minutes. The goal is to quickly sear the outside of the asparagus while retaining a fresh bite. Slice asparagus and ramps diagonally in to 2 inch slices.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil on low heat in a small nonstick skillet. Gently crack the quail eggs in to the preheated pan; cook until the egg white turns opaque; about 1 minute.
Just before plating, toss the pea shoots and fresh tarragon leaves in the reserved dressing. Layer the ramps, asparagus, pea shoots and tarragon on a small platter. Top with toasted pecans and hot quail eggs. Serve immediately.
Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Quail Eggs utilizes many of the seasonal ingredients I scored at the market. It’s only lightly seasoned to give the ingredients the stage. Fresh tarragon is laced throughout and the yolk from the gently fried quail eggs acts as a creamy dressing. Prepare all of the steps ahead of time in order to serve this salad warm to the table.
Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Quail Eggs
Ingredients
1 bundle of asparagus (about 15 spears), left whole to grill
5 young ramps (wild leeks), left whole to grill
2 cups pea shoots
1/2 cup fresh tarragon leaves, stripped off the stem and left whole
4 organic quail eggs
1/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons tarragon vinegar
1 teaspoon raw honey
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Wash and thoroughly dry the asparagus, pea shoots, tarragon, and ramps. Mix 1 teaspoon olive oil, tarragon vinegar, raw honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat grill pan to medium high heat. Drizzle asparagus and ramps with 1 teaspoon olive oil, salt and pepper to lightly coat. First, gently wilt the ramps in the grill pan to create grill marks; about 1 minute each side. Remove the ramps to a cutting board. Add the asparagus to the grill pan in a single layer; grill each side for about 1 to 2 minutes. The goal is to quickly sear the outside of the asparagus while retaining a fresh bite. Slice asparagus and ramps diagonally in to 2 inch slices.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil on low heat in a small nonstick skillet. Gently crack the quail eggs in to the preheated pan; cook until the egg white turns opaque; about 1 minute.
Just before plating, toss the pea shoots and fresh tarragon leaves in the reserved dressing. Layer the ramps, asparagus, pea shoots and tarragon on a small platter. Top with toasted pecans and hot quail eggs. Serve immediately.
Wow.. how cool! I love grilled asparagus... but never ever had quail eggs. Just beautiful! :)
ReplyDeleteI love asparagus, unfortunately I don't have a grill-)) Maybe this summer! Very healthy dish you have here-))
ReplyDeleteLove the cute quail eggs! I've also been on a mission to find ramps this early where I live. Can't wait to start cooking with them!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad it's ramp season! I had ramp jam the other night!
ReplyDeleteYour farmer's market sounds incredible - you can even get quail eggs?! Awesome finds, awesome dish. :)
SO gorgeous, Kimmi! Next time I see quail eggs, I'm snatching them up...so cute!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, you're so lucky! Our farmer's markets are a ways to go yet.
ReplyDeleteQuail eggs are super yummy. What an elegant dish!
ReplyDeleteSupreme! Quail eggs are a lovely alternative for salads - and I can see that they're beautifully peppered. This dish couldn't be improved upon!
ReplyDeleteThis is SO gorgeous! I wish we could find quail eggs here. I love them!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so beautiful and I would stare at it for a while before eating it. Very nice presentation. :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks beautiful! I love eggs in salads. I love using quail eggs; they cook so quickly and have such a tender, delicate texture. Yum!
ReplyDeleteThis salad looks so tasty! I really like the flavors in the dressing and a great choice of veggies here. I may not be able to come across quail eggs, but I am sure a regular egg would do nicely as well. Also, this is a real eye catcher of a presentation-yum!
ReplyDeleteI love asparagus! I can't get the rest of my family to eat it, but I can't get enough of grilled or roasted asparagus!
ReplyDeleteThis is one refreshing salad Kimmi! Love the beautiful presentation!
ReplyDeleteWow, that is so pretty!! And what a cute dish with the birdies! :) I love grilled veggies, especially asparagus! Yum!
ReplyDeleteThe grilled asparagus salad looks super duper delicious! A wonderful seasonal treat.
ReplyDeleteThe eggs are done so perfectly well and looks so good when paired with the asparagus salad. Loving the pics all the way.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! I would love to shop at that farmers market! This salad looks incredible, I love the use of the egg yolks as the dressing, perfect!
ReplyDeleteWow - this looks amazing and your presentation is stunning! Love, love, LOVE the plate!
ReplyDeletethanks for a great recipe now where do i get quail eggs i have wild gabriel quails here in my yard in Arizona i will ask them ....
ReplyDeleteAny little egg will do ;). Try your local farmer's market or gourmet store. If you can't find them I am certain a large organic chicken egg will do the trick!
DeleteOh My God! I think I've just gone vegetarian - what a gorgeous dish. Lovely styling too. I usually end up breaking quails eggs so well done on such perfect results!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I will say there were a few scrambled quail eggs landed in my mouth, and not the plate, during the making of this photo ;)
DeleteThat is just gorgeous.. those tiny eggs are just beatifully done!
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeletewait, quail eggs? what? how very chef of you! I can't wait to try this.
ReplyDeleteSuch fabulous-looking ingredients! And that platter is just amazing.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe is drop dead gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThis recipe is drop dead gorgeous!
ReplyDeletethat looks darn gorgeous delicious salad, and perfect for this spring dish
ReplyDeletecheers
Wow! These looks fabulous ! Happy Easter :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious, eggs and asparagus are a great combination. I'll definitely have to try this recipe. I'm not following you by the way, looking forward to sharing with you!
ReplyDeleteWithout the eggs, this is my kind of meal. All those fresh veggies look like they are just bursting with flavor - yum!!
ReplyDeleteDid your blog just change its look?? Or am I just as oblivious as I think I am??? Looks great!!!
ReplyDeleteIt sure did! I finally found something I like...it just took me awhile to come up with it ;)
DeleteHow lucky are you to have a farmers market to shop. Ours aren't in full swing yet. Fantastic recipe. I don't have access to quail eggs, but I'll replace them with organic chicken eggs. Love the tarragon!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a yummy, delicious and healthy looking salad. I think asparagus and quail eggs work so well together. Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteJust lovely. I adore fresh asparagus, and I also miss the Baltimore Farmer's Market. We lived in Baltimore for a year, and it was my favorite weekend morning excursion. Thank you for sharing. A lovely way to begin my Easter Sunday. I hope you have a happy day!
ReplyDeleteJust lovely. I adore fresh asparagus, and I also miss the Baltimore Farmer's Market. We lived in Baltimore for a year, and it was my favorite weekend morning excursion. Thank you for sharing. A lovely way to begin my Easter Sunday. I hope you have a happy day!
ReplyDeleteThis salad is gorgeous! Love the asparagus and eggs!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! and perfect for spring and for Easter... and I've never had quail eggs! How do they compare to chicken eggs??? P.S.... I like your new banner! :D
ReplyDeletePerfect spring dish with asparagus! I've never had it with fried eggs before, but I can totally imagine how delicious this is (I love anything that has fried eggs!). We eat quail eggs but usually not with fried egg. I also love this plate... so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! :) I'm new here- thought I would say hello and let you know that I adore your blog so far! Off to stalk the rest of your site... Have a wonderful week, sugar! xo
ReplyDeleteThis would make for such a fantastic treat in this season. Love the salad.
ReplyDelete