Step-by-Step Instructions

• Smear some of the blue cheese spread onto a large serving plate. 
• Gently remove the white asparagus spears from the jar. Drain off the liquid and pat dry the asparagus spears with a paper towel. 
• Sprinkle a pinch of smoked paprika over the blue cheese
• Place the dried asparagus spears on top of the cheese
• Sprinkle another pinch of paprika over the asparagus spears (for color)
• Drizzle with a little olive oil and season generously with black salt, Ñora pepper flakes, and freshly cracked black pepper. 
• Top with some fresh green sprigs of fennel for some flavor and color.

Origin of This Recipe

Along a narrow cobbled street in the old part of my town is a small restaurant tucked away that serves the most amazing asparagus. The name is L’aixobar. It is unpretentious by nature, with a few tables inside and out, the latter adorning the side of the laneway where you can grab a vermouth and enjoy the afternoon sun. Xavier Moles is the chef, an energetic fellow, often whizzing around serving and cooking for the tables he keeps throughout the day. 

It is here you’ll find the inspiration for this recipe, and giving credit where it is well deserved, I wholeheartedly recommend making a visit and trying Xavier’s version for yourself.

Ingredients

White Asparagus is the star of the show with this tapas recipe. It can be used fresh, but for convenience and the ability to make this recipe year-round, we opted for a jar of peeled and prepared white asparagus (see below for more on the different types of asparagus and how to prepare fresh white asparagus). 

Blue cheese (gorgonzola or blue cheese spreads work well for this recipe. If using a soft blue cheese, you may want to heat it slightly to make it more spreadable. 

Fresh fennel is also used to add some texture, flavor, and color. Fennel is pungent and has a distinctive anise (liquorice) flavor and aroma. 

Black Salt is sourced from black Hawaiian lava and has become something of a staple recipe for us at Spanish radish HQ! We love using it to enhance the color, texture, and flavor of dishes. Want to know more about salt? Check out this guide on salt: Guide to Salt What is Healthy and What to Avoid

Smoked paprika is a staple in many Spanish tapas recipes, and when it comes to Spanish paprika, the La Vera Region is renowned for its wonderful paprika. Read more about the different types of Spanish paprika in this helpful Guide to Hot Paprika, Smoked Paprika and Sweet Paprika.

Best Types of Asparagus to Use

White Asparagus

Nicknamed “white gold” or “edible ivory,” white asparagus is a prized spring delicacy, where fresh bundles appear when in season (mid-April to late June), with the peak of the season around the end of May. At this time, fresh food stores will sell bunches or bundles of large white asparagus spears that can be cooked, peeled, and used in this recipe. 

For convenience, we use a jar of prepared white asparagus. It saves a bundle of time and this type of white asparagus is available year-round and can be found in most supermarkets or food stores. 

Canned (or jarred) white asparagus

Jars of (or canned) asparagus are already cooked and will have a much softer texture compared to raw asparagus. Be careful when you remove it from the jar, as it is often super soft and the spears may break apart easily. 

If you’re buying fresh white asparagus, look for firm stalks with closed tips and use it soon after buying

How To Prepare Fresh White Asparagus

Fresh white asparagus is a delicacy with a milder, more delicate flavor than green asparagus, but note that it needs special prep to get the best texture and taste. See below:

🧼 STEP 1: Wash and Trim

• Rinse the spears under cold water.
  Trim 1 to 2 inches off the bottom—it’s usually woody and tough.

🔪 STEP 2: Peel the Spears

• Use a vegetable peeler to peel from just below the tip down to the base.
• Peel thoroughly—white asparagus has a tough outer skin that stays stringy if left on.
• Lay it flat on a cutting board while peeling to avoid snapping the stalks.

🟡 Tip: Don’t skip peeling—it’s key to a tender, elegant dish.

🍳 STEP 3: Cook Gently

White asparagus is often boiled, steamed, or poached.

🫕 Boiling (Traditional Method):

1. Bring water to a boil in a wide pan or pot.
2. Add:
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• Optional: a slice of lemon or a knob of butter
3. Add the peeled spears.
4. Simmer gently for 8–15 minutes (depending on thickness), until tender when pierced with a knife or skewer.

🫧 Steaming:

• Place spears in a steamer basket over simmering water.
• Steam for 12–15 minutes, until tender.

Wild Fennel

We used some wild fennel for this recipe. Wild fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a fragrant, feathery herb that grows abundantly across the Mediterranean.

Fennel grows extensively throughout Spain and can be found in large leafy bunches from Spring through to early summer. It’s usually pretty easy to find, and is often found along roadsides, fields, and rocky hillsides.  

Wild fennel is really no different from cultivated fennel and has a lovely subtle anise flavor. It’s a great herb to use with vegetable dishes, in soups and stew, or in fish and seafood dishes. Fennel works particularly well with salmon or cod (bacalao). 

Tips on using wild fennel in the kitchen

• 🧪 Don’t confuse Wild fennel with poison hemlock, which looks similar but lacks the anise smell and has purple blotches on stems. The easiest way to tell the difference is by smell. Wild fennel has a wonderful anise aroma that is evident as soon as it is picked, wild hemlock has no aroma when picked. 
• ✂️ Use scissors or a knife to harvest young fronds; avoid yanking off the leaves, as it can damage the rest of the plant.
• 🌱 Ethical foraging: Only take what you need, and never uproot the whole plant. Always forage from clean, non-contaminated areas (avoid roadsides with heavy traffic or sprayed zones).
• 💧Clean before cooking: Always clean your wild fennel stalks before cooking with them. Run them under some cold water and give them a gentle rub to remove any grit, then set aside to dry.

More Spanish Tapas Recipes:

• Pan-Fried Prawns with Garlic, Lemon & Chili
• Gambas al Pil Pil Garlic Prawns with Chili
• Seafood Pipirrana Salad
• Chicken Meatballs with Almond Sauce
• Mushrooms Stuffed with Chorizo

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 recipe (approx. 1 portion)

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