Neil Perry's barbecued asparagus with spiced eggplant salad

Name: Neil Perry's barbecued asparagus with spiced eggplant salad
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Contemporary
Ingredients: 2 bunches asparagus; extra virgin olive oil; sea salt; 1 lemon, juiced; freshly ground black pepper

Neil Perry

Updated September 11, 2018,first published 3:42pm

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

Nothing says spring like fantastic local asparagus and this dish just seems the perfect heralding of the coming warmer months.

Ingredients

2 bunches asparagus
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
1 lemon, juiced
freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE EGGPLANT SALAD

2 eggplants, skinned and diced into ½ cm pieces
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
1 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 fresh jalapeño chilli, crushed to a paste
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
handful flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon, juiced
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the barbecue to hot.
Break the tough ends off the asparagus. Mix the asparagus, a good splash of extra virgin olive oil and some sea salt in a bowl. Place asparagus on grill bars. Turn it from time to time to ensure a nice crust forms, and it gets some good grill marks all over. Cook for about 4 minutes.
Transfer asparagus to a plate, drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, pour over lemon juice and give a good grind of fresh pepper.
Steam eggplant in a steamer for 10 minutes, until soft and tender. Place in a bowl, add all the other salad ingredients, and mix.
Spoon the salad in the middle of 4 large plates, then place the asparagus spears across in 4 equal portions. Serve with delicious, crusty bread.

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