Give Salsa An Earthier Flavor With The Help Of Asparagus

The beautiful thing about salsa is that it's always on your mind if you're obsessed with things like eliminating food waste in your kitchen, eating tacos every Tuesday, or just having one-half of the perfect snack (chips and salsa) on hand at all times. It really doesn't matter why all forms of salsa keep your daydreams spicy. But since they do, it's time to embrace asparagus, the perfect match to mellow any salsa without overpowering it.

Sure, you are always ready to use ripe tomatoes for salsa roja when you have lime, cilantro, and spicy peppers on hand. Add asparagus to the mix, either diced or pulsed in a food processor for a delightfully different alternative. Add it to this recipe for creamy salsa verde, and watch out. It's going to be your next go-to condiment for anything you'd normally pair with asparagus.

While salsa verde goes well with any protein, don't be shy about adding an asparagus version to your tried and true favorites like these cheesy salsa verde chicken enchiladas. Asparagus salsa verde would be a game changer alongside this recipe for grilled shrimp with charred corn and mango salsa. The bright and sweet flavors of the corn and mango are vibrant enough to complement the mellow earthiness and touch of bitterness asparagus brings to the table. Just remember to cook the asparagus in a way that targets the flavors you want to impart into the salsa.

Asparagus works well in salsas because it's versatile in two ways. Its taste is distinct but not overly so. That hint of grassy bitterness holds up well to almost any salsa ingredient. That makes it easy to use in a lot of different recipes. But really, asparagus is fun to use in salsa mostly because its taste can be adjusted depending on the way you cook it. Blanch or boil the asparagus to soften its flavor and give it a bit of sweetness. Roast it or grill it to give the asparagus some char and its flavor will intensify.

Think about the charred, caramelized flavor that's one of the best parts of a salsa roja asada. The tomatoes, onions, and peppers are dry roasted on a fiery hot cast-iron skillet to give them that unmistakable flavor. This is the perfect spot to add in a few (or four) stalks of trimmed-up asparagus. Depending on how much earthiness you're going for, you can ramp up the amount of asparagus or pull it back.

The same goes for salsa verde, as its flavors can be maximized or mellowed with the addition of asparagus cooked in a number of ways. To keep the salsa as fresh and green as possible, blanching the asparagus is the way to go. Briefly immersing the asparagus stalks in boiling water and then dunking them in an ice bath preserves their freshness while making the stalks tender.