Asparagus with anchovy yogurt and rye crumbs

A Caesar salad for asparagus season. Creamy, salty, and deeply unmami, this dressing is perfectly balanced with smoky grilled asparagus and lemony rye crumbs for a delightful mix of flavours, textures, and taste sensations. 

This dish takes its cue from a Caesar salad, with a creamy, savoury dressing, balanced with green veg and plenty of crunch. We’re getting in there early because British asparagus season is short and worth making the most of. The anchovy yogurt is salty, sharp and deeply umami, offset by smoky grilled asparagus and lemony rye crumbs. It’s a natural fit for an Easter table, especially alongside roast lamb.

Here's the method

Feeds 6 as a side

• Tear the rye bread into pieces and blitz in a food processor to coarse crumbs.
• Warm the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and toast the crumbs until lightly golden.
• Finish with lemon zest and salt. Set aside to cool.
• For the anchovy yogurt, roughly chop the anchovies and combine in a food processor along with the yogurt, grated garlic, lemon juice, parmesan, olive oil and a good amount of black pepper. Blitz until smooth. You can prep this ahead of time and chill in the fridge.
• Trim the ends of the asparagus and toss with olive oil and salt. Set a griddle pan over a medium heat. Once hot, char the asparagus until just tender, about 3-4 minutes.
• To plate, spoon the anchovy yogurt onto a large plate, pile over the asparagus and finish with the lemony rye crumbs and a good drizzle of olive oil.