Recipes and Cooking Fresh Asparagus Ribbon Salad 4.5 (4) Add your rating & review By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on March 1, 2012 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Con Poulos Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 6 Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 1 pound fat green, purple, or white asparagus (about 14 spears) 2 cloves garlic, peeled ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt ½ cup sour cream ⅓ cup olive oil 3 - 4 tablespoon lemon juice ½ cup chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley ¼ cup chopped fresh chives 1 tablespoon milk (optional) Ground black pepper 1 head Bibb lettuce, torn (6 cups) ½ English (seedless) cucumber, thinly sliced 3 radishes, very thinly sliced Directions Remove scales from asparagus spears. Using a vegetable peeler, peel thin "ribbons" from the spears. Place ribbons in a medium bowl of ice water; set aside. Meanwhile, to make garlic paste, on a cutting board finely chop the garlic. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Holding a large flat chef's knife at a slight angle, blade almost flat with cutting board, mash and rub the salt into the garlic. For dressing, in a large bowl whisk together the garlic paste, sour cream, olive oil, and lemon juice. Stir in parsley and chives. If desired, thin with milk. Season to taste with black pepper. Drain asparagus ribbons and pat dry (or spin in a salad spinner). On a platter arrange lettuce, asparagus ribbons and tips, cucumber slices, and radish slices. Drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately. REMOVING SCALES The dark triangular leaves or scales on asparagus spears can be especially tough on thick spears. To remove them, use a paring knife to peel them off. Discard the scales. ASPARAGUS RIBBONS Thin asparagus ribbons are easy to cut using a sharp vegetable peeler on thick asparagus spears. Trim the asparagus, then lay it flat on a work surface. Beginning from the stem or bottom end, peel toward the tips. Either take care to avoid snapping off the tender tips with the peeler, or deliberately break off the tips to toss in the salad with the ribbons. Tips Cover and refrigerate any remaining dressing. Use within 3 days. Stir well before serving. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 73 Calories 6g Fat 4g Carbs 2g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 Calories 73 % Daily Value * Total Fat 6g 8% Saturated Fat 1g 5% Cholesterol 3mg 1% Sodium 73mg 3% Total Carbohydrate 4g 1% Total Sugars 2g Protein 2g Vitamin C 9.4mg 47% Calcium 40.4mg 3% Iron 1.8mg 10% Potassium 280mg 6% Folate, total 68.5mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.