“I love this dish because it combines the produce I love and it reminds me of the beginning of summer. The most important thing is that you have good ingredients. I like to cut the char a little bit thicker, for the texture.”
– Konstantin Filippou, chef, Vienna
Serves 2 to 4
INGREDIENTS
6 or 7 spears white asparagus, peeled
1 pinch salt
1 pinch sugar
A squeeze of lemon juice
½ pear, roughly chopped
1 head Little Gem lettuce, separated into leaves
2 sprigs oregano, roughly chopped
Olive oil (Konstantin uses oil from Kalamata)
Apple vinegar
Smoked char (or another freshwater fish like trout), thickly cut
METHOD
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the white asparagus with the salt, sugar and a squeeze of lemon and simmer the spears for 7-8 minutes, until tender. Refresh and set aside.
Combine the pear, lettuce leaves, half the oregano, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a small bowl. Toss with 4 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp apple vinegar before transferring the salad to a larger bowl for serving.
Drizzle some olive oil into a frying pan over a high heat. Add the white asparagus and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the oregano and another slug of vinegar during cooking.
Once cooked, cut the asparagus into threes on an angle and add to the salad. Coat the salad with the juices from the pan before topping with the smoked char. Serve with good bread, along with more olive oil and vinegar.
