Counter 13 · Sides & Sauces
Grill-Basket Asparagus With Lemon and Garlic
Thick asparagus spears tossed with olive oil, garlic and chili flakes, charred in a perforated grill basket over glowing coals, then finished with lemon zest. Done in under ten minutes.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
Asparagus cooks in about the time a chop needs to rest, which is why it keeps turning up beside grilled pork chops and ribeyes. A perforated grill basket stops spears from slipping through the grate while still letting the flame lick them. Buy medium-thick asparagus, at least pencil width; skinny spears wilt before they get any color. Trim the woody bottoms with a knife instead of snapping, which wastes good stalk, and peel the lower third of any spear whose skin looks tough.
Method
-
Set the grill basket on the grate and preheat the grill to high, about 500 F, for 10 minutes so the basket is scorching hot.
-
Peel the lower third of any thick spears with a vegetable peeler. On a sheet pan, toss the asparagus with the olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, pepper and pepper flakes.
-
Spread the spears in a single layer in the hot basket. Grill 6 to 8 minutes, rolling them with tongs every 2 minutes, until bright green and blistered in spots and a paring knife meets slight resistance at the thickest end.
-
Transfer to a platter and immediately grate the lemon zest over the top so the heat releases its oils.
-
Finish with a pinch of flaky salt and serve with the lemon wedges for squeezing.
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