Asparagus Mimosa (Whole30, Keto, Paleo)

Asparagus Mimosa is a classic French recipe that’s the embodiment of spring on a plate! Combining tender-crisp asparagus stalks with a lemony vinaigrette and topped with fluffy, sieved hard boiled eggs—it’s the perfect vegetable dish to serve with Sunday brunch or a colorful spring supper.

An overhead shot of asparagus mimosa on a rectangular platter, blanched asparagus topped with a zesty vinaigrette and sieved hard boiled eggs. The red banner on the bottom says paleo, Whole30, and keto.

Why is this dish called Asparagus Mimosa?

This old school asparagus salad recipe is traditionally topped with hard boiled eggs that are pushed through a fine mesh sieve so the bright yellow yolks resemble the small yellow flowers of the mimosa tree, a.k.a. Acacia dealbata. It’s just a coincidence that the similarly-hued mimosa brunch cocktail, made with champagne and orange juice, is named after the same flowers. You can make it a mimosa-inspired meal by serving both on an upcoming weekend!

Side shot of Asparagus mimosa on a rectangular white platter with forks and plates on the side.

Asparagus Mimosa Ingredients

Asparagus

Because this dish is all about the asparagus, you should pick the best you can find. Choose bright-green stalks with tight buds at the top and check to make sure the trimmed ends aren’t dried out or woody. It doesn’t really matter if you use thin or thick ones, just make sure they’re all the same size so they cook at the same time.

How to store asparagus: If you don’t cook the asparagus right away, trim the ends and store the stalks with the cut ends in a mason jar filled with water. Loosely cover the jar with a plastic bag and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.

Zesty vinaigrette

My favorite part of this recipe is the lemony vinaigrette made with minced shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. If you don’t have champagne vinegar on hand, you can use more lemon juice or substitute white balsamic or sherry vinegar.

Hard cooked eggs

The “mimosa” part of the name comes from the fluffy hard boiled eggs that adorn the top. Although the classic way to prepare the eggs is to push them through a fine mesh sieve, you can also pass them through the small holes of a box grater or just chop them up. Separate the yolks from the whites before chopping them up, so the two colors contrast and pop.

Someone in a red apron is pushing hard cooked egg yolks though a small sieve to make asparagus mimosa.

My favorite way to prepare hard cooked eggs is in the Instant Pot—if you make them ahead of time, this dish can be made in minutes!

If you’re allergic to eggs, just leave them off the top and you’ll still end up with a fabulous asparagus salad!

Herb garnish

I love topping asparagus mimosa with chopped fresh herbs and I use whatever I find at the market. Some of my favorite herbs to use include:

Chives
Italian parsley
Tarragon
Chervil

Make ahead instructions

The best thing about this dish is you can prep the components ahead of time and throw everything together right before serving! The cooked asparagus and hard cooked eggs can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make the vinaigrette the day you serve it, and don’t pour the dressing on the asparagus more than a few hours ahead of time because the stalks will turn a dull greenish brown color. (Yuck.)

How to make Asparagus Mimosa

Bring a large covered pot of water to a boil over high heat.

A hand putting the lid on a gray stockpot filled with water on the stove.

While the water is heating up, fill a large bowl with ice water…

A large silver bowl with ice is being filled with water.

…and cut the bottom 2 inches off the asparagus.

An overhead shot of someone trimming the woody ends off of a bunch of asparagus.

When the water is boiling, add a large pinch of salt and stir to dissolve.

A hand is adding a large pinch of Diamond Crystal kosher salt into a large gray pot filled with boiling water.

Carefully drop the trimmed asparagus spears in the boiling water and cook for about 2 to 6 minutes (depending on the thickness)…

Two hands adding asparagus to a gray stock pot filled with boiling water.

…or until bright green and tender-crisp.

An overhead shot of a gray pot filled with boiling water and bright green asparagus. A hand with a pair of tongs is mixing them around.

Taste one to make sure the texture is just right, because no one wants mushy asparagus.

An Asian woman in a red apron is biting on a piece of asparagus.

Use a pair of tongs to transfer the asparagus to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Someone using tongs to place cooked asparagus into a large bowl of ice water.

Carefully dry the asparagus with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. If the spears are wet, the dressing won’t stick! Arrange the dried spears on a serving platter.

Someone in a red apron has cooked asparagus on a large white kitchen towel.

Time to make the vinaigrette! Mix together the shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, champagne vinegar, kosher salt, and black pepper into a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Let it all sit for a few minutes to mellow out the shallots.

An overhead shot closeup shot of a liquid measuring cup filled with minced shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, champagne vinegar, salt, and pepper

Add the mustard and slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Someone in a red apron is whisking extra virgin olive oil into a measuring cup with vinaigrette ingredients.

Pour the dressing over the asparagus, tossing to coat thoroughly.

Someone in a red apron is pouring a lemon and shallot vinaigrette on top of cooked asparagus on a white rectangular plate.

Cut the hard cooked eggs in half and separate the cooked yolks from the whites. Push the whites through a fine mesh sieve with a the back of a metal spoon on top of the dressed asparagus.

A woman in a red apron is pressing egg whites through a small sieve on top of cooked asparagus

Next, push the yolks through the fine mesh sieve. Make sure you scrape the outside of the sieve to get all the egg-y goodness!

Someone in a red apron is pushing cooked egg yolks though a small mesh sieve onto a plate of asparagus topped with egg whites.

Crack on additional black pepper and sprinkle the top with the chives or your favorite chopped fresh herbs.

An Asian woman in a red apron is sprinkling chopped chives on top of asparagus mimosa.

Enjoy!

An overhead shot of a rectangular plate filled with Asparagus Mimosa, cooked asparagus tossed with a lemon vinaigrette and topped with chopped hard boiled eggs and chives.

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!

PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Asparagus Mimosa (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine French

Keyword gluten-free, keto, low carb, nom nom paleo, nomnompaleo, paleo, Vegetarian, Whole30

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings

Calories 266kcal

Author Michelle Tam

Ingredients

1½ pounds asparagus
Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 tablespoons minced shallots
Zest from one lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
¼ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 hard boiled eggs
2 tablespoons minced chives Italian parsley, tarragon, or chervil

Instructions

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. Bring a large covered pot of water to a boil over high heat.
While the water is heating up, cut the bottom 2 inches off the asparagus.
When the water is boiling, add a large pinch of salt and stir to dissolve.
Carefully drop the trimmed asparagus spears in the boiling water and cook for about 2 to 6 minutes (depending on the thickness) or until bright green and tender-crisp.
Use a pair of tongs to transfer the asparagus to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Carefully dry the asparagus with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. If the spears are wet, the dressing won’t stick! Arrange the dried spears on a serving platter.
Mix the shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, champagne vinegar, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper into a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Add the mustard and slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Pour the dressing over the asparagus, tossing to coat thoroughly.
Cut the hard cooked eggs in half and separate the cooked yolks from the whites.
Push the whites through a fine mesh sieve with a the back of a metal spoon on top of the dressed asparagus. Next, push the yolks through the fine mesh sieve. Make sure you scrape the outside of the sieve to get all the egg-y goodness!
Crack on additional black pepper and sprinkle the top with the chives or your favorite chopped fresh herbs. Enjoy!