Spring’s a great time in the kitchen: there’s a real buzz at all the new produce coming in. Asparagus is the first to announce itself; those delicate spears are full of fresh, grassy flavours and are like caviar to a vegetarian. Better still is white asparagus – grown in the dark like forced rhubarb. It’s well worth hunting down for its beautiful, dainty flavour, but it has the briefest of seasons – you’ll only find it for another week or so.


Serves 4

In the restaurants we serve soups in relatively small portions, almost as an accompaniment in a dish like this. If you can’t get Dublin Bay prawns, then substitute with raw tiger or king prawns. If using cooked prawns, add them at the same time as the asparagus tips.

24 raw Dublin Bay prawns
1 bunch white asparagus (about 12 spears)
500ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
25g butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
50ml double cream
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Olive oil, to drizzle

1 Remove the heads of the prawns by lightly twisting as you pull. Discard or reserve for fish stock. Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut the shell along the belly. Unwrap the shell from the body and either discard or add to the heads for stock.

2 With a swivel peeler, remove the tough outer skin at the base of the asparagus spears. Hold the asparagus in two hands and snap at the natural breaking point. Discard the tough base. Now cut the tips off the spears, about 2cm from the top.

3 Bring the stock to the boil and add the bay leaf and thyme. Add the asparagus tips and cook for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh in cold water, then place to one side.

4 Add the remaining asparagus to the stock and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf and thyme. Purée the asparagus, then pass through a fine sieve or chinois. Press down firmly with a spoon to extract as much as possible from the mixture. Discard the remaining pulp.

5 Melt the butter with the garlic in a small pan and sauté the prawns for 1 minute. Add the asparagus tips and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

6 Reheat the soup with the cream and adjust the seasoning. Arrange the prawns and asparagus tips in the centre of the bowl and ladle the soup around the outside. Drizzle with a little oil and serve.

Other asparagus recipes

Green asparagus with pink grape-fruit

Baby pea, broad-bean and courgette with salad with pancetta and la Grecque

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